


The Dark Rule

by Marjorie_Franklin



Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-02-15 22:32:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 346,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2245794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marjorie_Franklin/pseuds/Marjorie_Franklin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the Great War, the Dark Realm proved superior. The world is now eclipsed within a dark era dictated by Dark Overlords and their Dark Knights. The Dark Knight Terra has fallen in love with the one person he could never have; a light his dark hands could never truly possess. How could she love a Dark Knight? How could Aqua care for one of the knights she vowed to hate forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Knights in Black Satin

Terra knelt in submission on elaborate, crimson carpet of the dais at the feet of his three Dark Overlords. The three silver-haired men sat in large, extravagant, black thrones before him. Lord Xehanort sat stoically in the center within the highest throne with Lord Ansem to his right and Lord Xemnas to his left.

"Eraqus and his _students_ are becoming a problem," the oldest man with orange eyes stated and brought his white gloved hand to his bearded chin, the ghostly leather of his glove scraping against the silvery stubble of his goatee.

"What would you have us do about it?" his finest Dark Knight questioned before he brought his deep blue eyes up to regard the monarchs.

"Imprison those who cannot seek redemption," Ansem stated as his fingers dug savagely into his armrest.

"We shall decide later which ones shall be rehabilitated," Lord Xemnas added and firmly crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"You, Axel, and Vanitas shall _visit_ Master Eraqus and bring him to us," Lord Xehanort commanded emotionlessly. "His time has expired. He is a threat to us, this world, the Dark Rule and all that we have worked so hard to establish."

"Of course, sire," Terra bowed obediently before the men who had raised him.

"Do not misunderstand us. That was an order for a Purge," Ansem stated to remove any doubts the Dark Knight might have about his mission.

The corners of Terra's lips curved upward into a delighted sneer. He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Aqua was nervous. The man who had raised her as his own had called for her to come speak with him in private. The girl with cobalt hair did not know what to expect but she had a terrible, gnawing feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

Her hand hesitated before she finally knocked on the large, white doors that led to the throne room.

"You may enter," she heard her caretaker call from within the massive room.

"Hello, Master," Aqua said as she began making her way toward Master Eraqus who stood in front of the three vacant thrones.

Aqua walked through the empty but extravagant room where the Mark of Mastery Exams were once held. The exam that apprentices took before becoming full-fledged keyblade masters if they passed. The room was once full of life and promise was but now, the room was empty and lamented.

Despite the abandonment and neglect, the room was still beautiful in Aqua's eyes. Golden floors and wall paneling outlined the room while massive elaborate stain glass windows greeted visitors with intricate, colorful designs.

"Good afternoon, Aqua," Eraqus smiled as the girl with sapphire hair approached him.

"Y-you wanted to talk to me about something?" she reluctantly inquired.

"Yes. It is about the Dark Overlords and their knights," the Master began.

Aqua repressed a cringe. She knew all about the monarchs and their so-called _knights_. They were nothing but bullies disguised as keepers of _order_ and _peace._ After the Great War between the Denizens of Light and the inhabitants of the Dark Realm, the world changed. The Light lost and those that basked in the Light were forever damned. Stricken down and oppressed until they could never seek to oppose the Dark Realm and their new council called the Dark Rule ever again.

The azure girl never knew the old world. The world bathed in Light. The world she had only heard stories and legends of, a place where Dark Knights did not lurk within the shadows waiting to snuff out even the smallest glimmer of Light, a Gaia where demonic seers did not foresee and control the future. A world Aqua had never laid eyes on, but desperately wanted to acquire.

"What about them?" she almost scoffed and elegantly laced her slender fingers in front of her.

"I believe that they shall come for me soon. My time runs short. Because I was once friends with the Dark Overlords, before the war, I have been spared for years," he began explaining vaguely and Aqua knew he was purposely downplaying the relationship he had with the Overlords. She knew he and Lord Xehanort had practically been brothers before the Great War, but she couldn't really blame him for refusing to rehash that piece of information now.

The Master walked with dignity towards one of the stained-glass windows within the lifeless throne room.

"However, I fear their neglect is coming to an end. They can no longer avoid my _guilt_ ," Eraqus spat before began stroking his thin beard.

"Master…I don't understand," Aqua said softly while she shadowed him, making her way to the window behind him.

"I served the Light many years ago. I fought for it during and even before the war. As you know, I still do and because of that, I shall be persecuted," the old Master said as he squeezed his weary, blue-gray eyes tightly shut.

"They have their seers. I am sure they have seen how I have been raising all of you," Eraqus continued. "And I am quite certain they do not approve. Why they have yet to act, I do not know. The savages they call _'Seer Sages'_ have their reasons for waiting for certain events to unfold..."

Aqua watched intently and helplessly while Eraqus's fists clenched fiercely at his sides.

"Aqua, they have Purged and imprisoned Master Yen Sid and Sora," he spoke so softly the cobalt-eyed girl barely heard him.

She gasped and covered her mouth with one of her graceful hands.

 _No…Kairi will be devastated…_ the young woman thought to herself.

Suddenly, everything made brutal sense. If the Dark Overlords had decided to Purge and imprison Master Yen Sid, then surely Master Eraqus was next.

Like Master Eraqus, Master Yen Sid was also one of the last servants of Light. They had both fought for the Light many years ago during the Great War and had both refused to give up on it despite the Dark Rule.

The Masters did not broadcast their alliance with the Light… No, that would have gotten them imprisoned or executed much sooner. However, it was still clear Yen Sid and Eraqus did not accept the Darkness as almost everyone else had. They were the minority…that was why they had lived in seclusion for years. To escape the Dark Rule and to avoid the contamination that came with it, but apparently, there was no escaping the eyes of the Dark Overlords…not anymore.

"I-I…understand," she finally said with pain filled eyes.

Aqua did not want this. It was all too much. She did not want to lose her Master…her father…

"What about us? What are we suppose to do?!" Eraqus jumped at the blue maiden's sudden outburst.

"Ventus will be with all of you. I am confident in his abilities as well as yours," her elder told her as he gently placed an aged hand on her bare shoulder. "Everyone looks up to you, Aqua. That is why I have informed you first. I wanted you to be prepared and I want you to be strong."

The azure girl nodded even though she did not believe she could be strong. Deep down she had known this day was coming. She knew Eraqus was too kind to survive within in the sinister world they inhabited. She had just been living in denial for years…

"Who is going to tell Kairi about Sora?" Aqua sincerely asked even though she did not want to be the one to break the news to her younger sibling.

"I suppose I will," he answered as he made his way out of the throne room with Aqua on his heels.

* * *

Aqua fidgeted nervously as she began making the grueling trek to her room. She had no idea how to break the news to her companions, her friends, her family...

_Hey! How is everything going? Oh, by the way, Master Eraqus is about to be Purged! Isn't that great?_

The young woman dreaded their arrival…Aqua hated the tools everyone admirably called their _Dark Knights_. The men who conducted the Purges, those who extinguished any and all Light, they would be coming for Master Eraqus soon. Aqua doubted her Master would even get a trial at the Palace of Retribution in Hollow Bastion, the Overlords would see to that. They wanted Eraqus put away and they would see to it that he would _never_ see the light of day again. They always got what they wanted…

Aqua had never actually seen the current Dark Knights up close. Eraqus had always done a wonderful job of keeping all of his adopted children away from any negotiations he had with the dark monarchs and their muscle, but Aqua had heard rumors of them.

Everyone knew about them, especially the ones who participated in Purges.

Terra, Vanitas, Axel, Saïx, and sometimes Roxas were the men who would Purge helpless victims from their homes to be sent off to their death or to high security prisons if they were lucky. If you saw Vanitas or Terra, it usually meant the matter was of top priority. Those two were the big guns; at least that was what she had heard from the places she had visited…

The Purge was the Dark Overlords way of keeping those who still served the Light in line. It was a technique they used to scare people into becoming fully devoted to them.

The concept was simple, if you did not use Dark powers, if you were with the resistance group, the Opposition, if you wielded any Keyblade other than a Dark Keyblade, if you showed any sign of disapproving of the Dark Rule, or if you simply _looked_ at a Dark Knight the wrong way, you would be executed or held prisoner. The lives of many innocent people had been taken during Purges. The Purge while effective, was not entirely accurate when it came to its victims. The Overlords and the Dark Knights were not picky when it came to their prey. As long as the message was gotten across, they did not care who suffered at the hands of the Purge.

The young woman finally reached her room. She gently shut her white door and resisted the urge to cry as she leaned against the vibrant, wooden door. The sound of laughter reached her ears and she walked to her window. Kairi, Ventus, Namine, and Xion were all outside playing, completely oblivious to the doom that slowly approached them.

Naminé was drawing something in her sketchpad with Kairi sitting elegantly next to her while Xion and Ventus sparred with their Keyblades nearby.

Aqua could feel their peaceful secluded life slipping through her ivory fingers.

Her reflection in her full-length mirror on the other side of the room tempted her peripheral vision. Big, blue eyes glanced over her shoulder at her reflection. A girl with long, lush blue hair looked back at her. Thick cobalt locks cascaded just beyond her breasts. Bangs framed her angular face and her shimmering, baby blue eyes.

She wore a tight, navy blue halter-top, the high collar wrapping securely around her neck. The garment wrapped snugly around her feminine curves. Black shorts hung low on her hips and covered her upper thighs but below her mid thigh yet above her knees she wore black stockings on her long legs. However, over the shorts and stockings, over her right hip she wore a blue and white ankle length sash. The sash looked much like a halved skirt, cloaked in blue but with horizontal white ruffles running across it sporadically.

The Overlords had agreed to let Eraqus and his students wield Keyblades, but only as a hobby. They were not allowed to participate in the Mark of Mastery Exam or gain the Mark of Mastery. That was a privilege that only Dark Knights or those from the Dark Realm received now. Wielding for the realm of Light or with the Opposition was strictly forbidden and would have dire consequences. Aqua always assumed they only allowed the practice to continue so they could use it as a reason for Purge later.

Lifelessly, she laid face down on her large blue and white bedspread for what seemed like an eternity. The young woman refused to get up until she got her emotions under control.

After she rolled onto her back and counted her bleached ceiling tiles for the tenth time, she sighed heavily and decided to go out, put on a brave face, and address her family.

By the time she exited their massive castle, her unorthodox family had not moved, but Master Eraqus was with them now. He was likely giving them a less detailed version of why he was probably about to be Purged, or telling Kairi that Sora had been imprisoned. Maybe both.

When the blue-haired maiden reached her diverse, unusual family, she instantly looked at Kairi. Her beautiful deep blue eyes were distant and cold. Kairi did not look surprised by what Eraqus was speaking of, but she did appear hurt.

"Ventus, you and Aqua are the eldest so I expect you two to continue training and looking out for one another even if I am forced to leave you all," Eraqus spoke solemnly as Ventus and Aqua's eyes met.

Aqua and Ventus were Master Eraqus's eldest students. Aqua was eighteen while Ven had only recently turned seventeen. Naminé and Kairi were both fourteen and Xion had recently turned sixteen.

Kairi and Aqua had been with Eraqus the longest. Aqua barely remembered their biological parents and Kairi did not remember them at all. Their whole lives they had depended on each other. Kairi was all Aqua had left of her original family. All they had was each other before Eraqus took them in. Their parents were killed during a Purge. After that, they aimlessly traveled the world scavenging for food and sleeping in alleyways or boxes if they were fortunate enough to find them. When they weren't hunting for food to survive on or looking for a place to sleep, they were hiding from the Dark Rule and their Dark Knights. They did not want to end up like their parents...or worse be recruited to become Dark Knights. The Dark Rule had a nasty, immoral habit of taking in orphans to serve as Dark Knights or to become Seer Sages... The Dark Rule would find a way to use them...

One day, Master Eraqus found them dirty, malnourished, and curled up next to filthy garbage cans. He offered to give them something to eat and eventually offered them a permanent home. After that, life had meaning again. Aqua was given hope. She would forever be in indebted to her Master for the life he had given her and her younger sister.

A few years later, Ventus, Xion, and Naminé were added to the family. Their story was similar to Aqua and Kairi's. They too were orphaned, lost, and alone after a Purge.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Naminé asked and clutched her sketchpad tightly in her small, pale hands.

"You know there is nothing to be done about _them_ ," Ven hissed, blue eyes narrowing and boring holes into the lush, green earth beneath his feet.

"If they come for me, I want you all make me a promise" their old Master instructed as he looked at each of his students.

"Anything," Xion answered for everyone.

How could they deny that man of anything after he had taken them in and raised them as his own, the man who had given them so much; the man who had offered them sanctuary and happiness?

"Do _not_ fight them," he coldly commanded as he gazed sternly at each of his pupils. "Do not resist them. Do not give them a reason to take you as well. That was why Sora was Purged. He fought for Master Yen Sid and he suffered the dire consequences."

Aqua and Ventus nodded while the younger girls all called, "Yes, Master."

Kairi was not surprised by the news of Sora's Purge. The last time she saw Sora and Master Yen Sid, they had suspected a Purge. Kairi's most recent visit to Twilight Town had been cut short because of it. Sora had insisted that she go back to the Land of Departure with her family where she would be safe. Well, safer…the world was not really safe at all anymore.

The red-haired girl often visited Twilight Town and Master Yen Sid in order to harness her Keyblade and magic skills. Yen Sid and Sora could teach her things that her Master, Eraqus, could not. The visits became more frequent as she and Sora bonded. As time went by, Sora even began teaching her more than Master Yen Sid.

Now that they were gone and her Master thought he was about to be Purged as well, Kairi was not sure what to do with herself. She was getting scared. Sora was sure she would be Purged if she was in Twilight Town at the time of the pending Purge. Now Master Eraqus was demanding that Aqua keep a close eye on her.

Kairi knew she was unusual. She had always known she was special. A prodigy. That was why she was sent to Twilight Town. Despite the Dark Rule, Master Eraqus did not want her to be limited. He wanted her to learn all that she could even if he was not the one teaching her. Yen Sid could also teach Kairi more advanced techniques. Eraqus would have to wait for his other students to catch up while Yen Sid could teach Kairi higher-level craftsmanship since Sora was his only protege.

What took most students months to master, Kairi could master in a few weeks or even days. Sora would always get frustrated at her progress, especially when it surpassed his.

She smiled at the thought…

The petite redhead peered up at her older sister. Aqua looked nervous and that was making her nervous. Kairi never got nervous. She had always been free-spirited and carefree, but all of this was even starting to get to her.

* * *

"Let's go!" Terra called to his comrades as he secured his pronged, bronze helmet atop his head.

He was getting impatient. He was ready to do this. Terra loved conducting Purges and he would always anxious before each one he participated in.

"What's your hurry, asshole?" Vanitas asked while he straightened the ebony gauntlets on his large hands.

"You know I am not a patient man," Terra answered curtly and Vanitas chuckled darkly.

Axel rolled his green eyes at the rivalry between the elite Dark Knights. Terra was considered the best of the best, but Vanitas had always been determined to surpass him.

"Ready when you are ladies," Axel teased as he tugged his blackened hood over his vibrant, red hair and secured his silver mask over his eyes.

Terra laughed at his friend's joke while Vanitas huffed before boarding the massive airship.

"Terra," an elderly voice gently called from a short distance.

"Sir?" Terra answered as he whirled to face Lord Xehanort.

"I have decided to accompany you. A last-minute decision has been made concerning one of Eraqus's students," Xehanort explained as he slouched forward and locked his arms behind his slouched back.

"Pardon me, Lord Xehanort, but I thought we were only dealing with Master Eraqus?" Terra politely inquired while he watched his sovereign with puzzled royal blue eyes.

"We were, but after conversing with the Seer Sages once more, we have decided to deal with the matter today," the sinister Overlord said gruffly as he passed Terra and boarded the ship behind Vanitas.

Terra did not question the decision. The Dark Knight was their muscle. He was not used to make decisions. That was not his job. His opinion was invalid. More importantly, he was not to question his Lord or the decisions made by the Court and the Seer Sages.

The Seer Sages were the beings that could see the past, future, as well as potential futures. Each seer was different with different abilities. The Dark Overlords used all of them to control and predict the future and apparently, dealing with the student today would prove useful to the future his Lords were aspiring for.

Choosing to ignore the details and to blindly follow his sovereign and his demands, Terra boarded the ship that would take them to the Land of Departure.

* * *

About a week had passed since Master Eraqus had informed his apprentices of his potential Purge and Aqua was starting to gain hope that her Master had been mistaken. Perhaps the Dark Rule wasn't coming for him. Perhaps he would be spared after all.

Aqua was casually sparring with Ven when they heard it, the sound of an airship colliding mercilessly with the earth. Only those from the Dark Capital of Hallow Bastion had airships. Their eyes locked before they both wildly sprinted in the direction of the spine-chilling sound.

By the time they reached the gateway of their home, their father figure was already halfway down the immense, lavender stairway. Master Eraqus awaited his visitors gallantly at the bottom of the immense stone stairway that led to the castle he and his students inhabited.

The massive airship door opened as blackened steam hissed and clouded around the men emerging from the ship.

Lord Xehanort exited the elaborate ship first and was quickly followed by two men clad in thick ebony armor that rattled and clinked harshly as they walked. Aqua could not see their faces for they each wore unique helmets and facial coverings.

The knight to Xehanort's right wore armor stained with blood. Red streaks outlined the massive muscles on his chest and abs while vermillion gauntlets smothered his coal-black hands. His helmet was smooth, sleek, and rounded with a jagged silver beard that latched onto the bottom of it. Deep crimson was the only color on the knight's armor other than black…

Aqua's fearful eyes shot over to the next knight. The other one was not nearly as muscular. He was tall, lean, and his armor was splashed with gold and green that only colored the contours and gaps of his armor. An oversized black hood outlined in green shadowed his head as well as the charcoal mask that obscured his face.

Unlike the first, he did not wear a helmet. Haunting, eyeless holes allowed him to see through the thick, layered silver mask that concealed his jade eyes and his nose. Aqua noticed his sinister smile emerging underneath the disguise.

The cerulean girl did not know which was worse, the faceless helmet or the black hood and partial mask that allowed her to see the wearer's menacing, permanent smirk.

Ven placed his gentle hands on Aqua's shoulders from behind, and she jerked before realizing it was only Ven. The aquamarine girl brought both of her hands to her shoulder and held his larger ones.

 _Maybe holding Ven will sate my urge to stop all this,_ she thought.

"Master Eraqus, you are under arrest for treasonous acts against the Dark Rule." Xehanort cut right to the point as he stood before a humbled Master Eraqus.

"Don't I warrant a hello, Xehanort?" Eraqus asked as he stood motionlessly.

"Not when you are being arrested for treason." Xehanort smiled deviously, tawny eyes gleaming. "Will you come quietly?"

As Lord Xehanort spoke, the knight in crimson drew his demonic Keyblade and the other more slender knight summoned flaming, spiked chakrams.

It was not a question. It was a threat.

Kairi was at Aqua's side now. She could feel Kairi's nerves so she offered her one of her hands while still holding Ventus's hand with the other. Their fingers laced as they helplessly watched the situation they could not stop. Naminé and Xion were not there…they probably could not handle it…

 _I know I can't,_ Aqua thought to herself.

"Yes, I will come quietly," Master Eraqus succumbed as if he had a choice.

As soon as the words left his lips, Vanitas rushed at him and forced the man to his knees.

"Get down!" he spat as he held the man down by his shoulders.

Axel followed Vanitas's lead and circled the man and savagely placed spiked restraints similar to his weapons on Eraqus's guiltless wrists.

"Why are they using force?" Aqua whispered to Ven, "Eraqus said he would go. The violence is not necessary."

"No, Aqua, it's not, but this is how they operate. They enjoy it. I doubt the cronies know anything else. I don't want to think about how they would have treated Eraqus if he _wasn't_ compliant," Ventus explained softly and subtly into Aqua's ear. He did not want their _visitors_ to know they were speaking to one another.

"Where is Kairi?" Xehanort asked as he bluntly yanked Eraqus's head up by his thin beard, forcing the Keyblade Master to look at him.

Eraqus's dull eyes went wide.

"Go to hell!" Eraqus spat. He fought his restraints and lunged at Xehanort only to be violently reeled back by Axel.

"This _is_ hell," Lord Xehanort retorted darkly. "This is _my_ hell, Eraqus. The one I have masterfully created and you are forced to live in it."

Aqua felt Ventus's hands leave her shoulders.

"I can't watch this," he said as he retreated back into the castle to join his sisters, Xion and Namine.

"Is that her?" Vanitas asked, his voiced muffled and distorted by his faceless helmet. He raised his hand and pointed to the small redhead beside the ethereal looking girl with blue features.

"Indeed," the old monarch answered with a curt nod. "I trust you will help me take care of that, but do not harm her. She is not being arrested as Eraqus is."

"Noted," Vanitas said as he began walking toward the two females, his armor morbidly clanging with each powerful step he took.

Aqua could not see his eyes but she knew the bloody knight was watching them. She possessively brought her younger sister to her side and securely wrapped her arms around her.

"Terra!" Lord Xehanort called the elite knight down from his post at the foot of the airship.

The Dark Knight in intricate bronze and gold armor made his way toward the shackled, traitorous Master.

"Yes, my lord?" Terra asked as he lazily slung his massive Keyblade over his broad shoulders.

" _Escort_ Eraqus onto the ship," Xehanort instructed flatly before he began following Vanitas toward the two young women.

Terra grinned mischievously within his pronged helmet and took long, heavy steps toward Master Eraqus.

"Hold him up, Axel," he instructed his lifelong friend as he secured his Keyblade in his hand.

Axel cruelly lifted Eraqus up in front of the bronze knight. Terra was not in the mood for a struggle today. He backhanded his Keyblade and swiftly rammed the dull hilt into the gentle Master's stomach.

Master Eraqus cried in agony and bowed over from the force of the blow. Once Terra was sure the older man would not resist him, he nodded for Axel to help him drag the defeated Master into the airship.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Vanitas said politely as he gave a mock gentleman's bow.

"Save it," Aqua snapped. "What do you want?"

" _We_ want her," he answered as he pointed an ebony finger at Kairi.

Aqua clutched her younger sister closer to her side.

"Try to understand," the Overlord said as he too approached them. "The Court has decided that your sister is a threat and that she is to be imprisoned and reeducated."

"Re-educated?" Aqua questioned the sinister man with deadly orange eyes.

 _More like reprogrammed_ , she thought inwardly.

"Do not despair, your sister is not being arrested," Xehanort said as he snapped his fingers at Vanitas.

The blood stained Dark Knight grabbed Kairi's wrist and detached the girl from her sister.

"Aqua!" Kairi yelled as she reached for her sister and pulled against Vanitas's painful grip.

"No!" Aqua cried as she fell to her knees before the Dark Overlord. "Please, don't take her. Don't take my sister!"

Xehanort said nothing. He simply stood in place with an incompliant expression on his devilish face.

Aqua grabbed fistfuls of the man's cloak.

"Take me instead! Please! She is just fourteen!" she pleaded frantically as she peered up at him with big, blue eyes.

"Your radiance is not like that of your sister," he said as he gripped the girls chin with a willowy, gloved hand. "You have done no wrong."

Xehanort released the young woman's face and aggressively yanked his cloak from her dainty hands.

"Come, child," Xehanort said to Kairi while Vanitas led her down the massive stairwell of the fortress.

Kairi kept trying to resist Vanitas's pull. She pushed at his hand that had a death grip on her wrist and dug her heels into the stone steps.

"Let me go!" she shouted as she continued to look back at her elder sibling.

Aqua was numb.

_This isn't happening. It can't be happening. Not Master Eraqus and Kairi…_

She squeezed her radiant eyes tightly shut and held her head down as she fought the tears that threatened to flow down her heart-shaped face. She could not bear to watch her sister cry and reach for her any longer, especially when there was nothing she could do to help her...but she had to try. She could not give up.

Taking Kairi was going too far. Eraqus was one thing, but Kairi was another. She had done nothing to them. They were taking her simply because she could do something, because she _could_ possess Light powers that _could possibly_ threaten them.

Cobalt eyes shot up as she watched the dark men taking her sister to the ship.

"Stop!" she sobbed as she clumsily ran down the stone steps, tears flowing freely.

They all ignored her except the bronze knight she had not noticed until now.

"Terra, stop her" Lord Xehanort said dismissively as he placed an eerie hand on Kairi's back and gently guided her into the ship.

 _Terra...?_ Aqua thought and hesitated for a moment before attempting to barrel past him.

Terra effortlessly grabbed Aqua with one arm around her waist and lightly pushed her back in the direction from which she came. He just needed to delay her long enough for Kairi to vanish within the ship.

Sapphire eyes glared fiercely at him before she again tried to go after her sister.

Terra was not having it. He raised a gauntlet-covered hand and held it out it in front of her. Commanding her to halt without uttering a word.

The tramp was not worth his breath.

The knight with bronze and gold armor was the most intimidating when it came to size. Aqua was not surprised to learn that this was Terra. She expected nothing less from the Captain of the Dark Knights. The cruelest of the cruel and the most brutal among the brutal.

Aqua's eyes fell. She was not going to get past him and she could not fight him. She would die trying or worse; they would kill Kairi or the others for her defiance and insubordination.

The Dark Rule going to take her sister and her father figure away from her and there was nothing she could do about it. They had been Purged.

Terra noticed the female had accepted defeat. He glanced over his armored shoulder and everyone had boarded the massive airship. He lowered his hand and whirled around to board the ship as well, his cape billowing wildly behind him as he left Aqua alone to wallow in her grief.

Steam hissed and the ship stairwell receded back into the ship as Terra vanished from sight.

Aqua collapsed violently onto the chilled, hard ground. Her blue eyes lost focus as they gaped at the swirling purple designs on the lavender-colored concrete that marked the entrance to the Land of Departure.

The ship launched, but Aqua did not budge. Dirt and debris flew all around her. Her azure hair whipped ferociously around her body and slashed painfully into her milky skin.

Aqua wrapped her arms securely around herself as the wind created by the macabre airship consumed her. She knew it should hurt but it didn't. She knew the debris was making tiny lacerations into her flesh but she couldn't feel anything except grainy, dirt filled tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

All at once, the assault ceased. Her hair no longer tangled and fought with the wind. The grime and dirt no longer battered her exposed skin. Every inch of her stung within the aftermath, but the only pain she felt was for the loss of her sister, her father, and her old life. It was gone. All of it was gone. Taken away with the airship and the Dark Knights who contaminated her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I know all of this is probably a bit confusing right now, but it will make more sense as the story progresses. I also know the ages and the look of some of the characters are different but keep in mind this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I did not want them to be the same because these characters are not the same. 
> 
> Next, let's talk about Dark Knights. Vanitas's armor is very similar to what he wore in Birth by Sleep except it is more bulky and think of it as something a knight would wear. Terra's is exactly what he wore in Birth by Sleep except darker colors and more black. You get the idea.


	2. The Leaving Song

Kairi was freezing. The frosty surface of the airship's prison cell's flooring was misery on delicate skin.

They had been flying for hours and she hated the confinement. She felt like a small bird in an even smaller cage. Kairi was not supposed to be confined in a small space. It was against her nature.

Finally, the large, metal door of her cell opened. Lord Xehanort entered with the armored man following close behind him. It was the knight who wore bronze, gold, and black protective covering over his massive frame.

Kairi stiffened and sat upright, backing further into the cell's corner like a frightened animal. She knew the man with Xehanort was there to overpower her or to administer punishment in case she decided to escape or fight.

The Dark Knight was outlined in sporadic, razor-edged golden metal on his upper chest, hips, knees, shoulders, hands, and feet. A reddish bronze plate covered his torso and accentuated his already present chiseled abs and pecks. The same deep gold outlined his ebony helmet while two umber spikes jutted from the helmet's emotionless head. Every other inch of the man was smothered in darkness and a long, black cape blanketed behind his large frame.

The man's armor was intimidating, but Kairi did not find it as frightening as some of the others she had seen.

"It is time to go, child," Xehanort instructed with faux kindness as he lurched toward her, his arms folded firmly behind his hunched back.

Kairi timidly shook her head. She knew that getting out meant going somewhere she had no desire to go.

The old Overlord looked at the knight beside him. The Dark Knight nodded and approached the wide-eyed girl.

"Come on," he said harshly and extended a blackened hand for her.

Kairi hated the sound of his voice within his featureless helmet. It reverberated in unnatural inhuman ways, ways a human’s voice should _never_ sound.

"Wait," Lord Xehanort said gruffly. "Take her Keyblade first."

The ebony knight did not withdraw his hand. He continued to hold it out in front of her expectantly, his fingers twitching with impatience.

She could tell by his body language that he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. His hand would not withdraw until she either placed her hand or her Keyblade into this ebony palm.

Kairi sighed and summoned her flowered Keyblade to her small hand before reluctantly handing it to the intimidating man impersonating a guardian.

Kairi had already seen him wield a Keyblade. She knew he was a Keyblade Master and could easily wield and manipulate her Keyblade just as easily as she did.

The armored man reduced her Keyblade to its charm form and tucked the charm into his unseen pocket.

"Careful. She can still employ powerful magic," Xehanort reminded the knight as he began stroking the gray beard on his pointed chin.

The Dark Knight simply nodded as he again extended a hand for Kairi again. She refused and stood up on her own.

"I will follow you," she insisted as politely as she could while still being defiant.

Instinctively, she began fidgeting with her long, ruby tresses. It was a form of self-soothing to calm her nerves but it wasn’t doing much good. In fact, she felt as if she were growing even more nervous…

"Fine," The Dark Knight snapped and coarsely retracted his hand, "but the instant you try _anything,_ my leniency ends."

After staring at the intimidating man wide-eyed for a few moments, Kairi swallowed hard and silently followed the immoral men out of her wintery cell.

Once they were out of the prison hold, Kairi noticed how extravagant the interior of the ship was.

It was like a mansion. If the redhead did not know any better, she wouldn't have thought she was on a ship at all.

Vermillion carpet coated the ships walkways like a river of blood and coal-black metal lined the walls. Intricate silver, gold, and bronze vases were placed throughout the hallways and expensive paintings and portraits dangled on the glossy walls. Smokey doorways lined the endless hallways and Kairi knew they led to ridiculously luxurious rooms.

_So this is how the Dark side lives,_ she scoffed privately. _Why couldn't I have stayed in one of the lavish rooms? I would have behaved!_

The sound of metal knocking on metal brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" a man with long, dull blonde hair and wild green eyes answered the door.

"Vexen, we need some medicine for the girl. She has been in the holding cell since our departure and she is not feeling well. Could you give her something to dull her pain?" the High Elder asked the blonde man named Vexen.

Now that he mentioned it, Kairi was nursing a nasty headache.

_How did he know that? I never said that I was in pain…_

Kairi did not dwell on details of the bizarre situation. She simply assumed that is was natural for their prisoners to feel bad after being cooped up in a nasty prison cell for hours or days…

Vexen gave a feral, devious grin before motioning for everyone to enter what appeared to be an infirmary.

Xehanort entered first as the armored man opened the oversized door for them.

"You too, Red," the being clad in black armor growled as he inclined his body in an artificial bow and continued to hold the door open for her.

After being snarled at, Kairi quickly sprinted into the infirmary behind Xehanort.

In her rush to get away from the irritated knight, she accidentally rammed into the old man's coated back.

"I'm sorry!" she chirped and held her hands out in front of her nervously "I-I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

Kairi had no idea why she was apologizing to this man. Habit maybe?

"Sit," was the elderly man's only reply as he pointed a willowy finger to one of the examining tables in the center of the infirmary.

For some unknown reason, she obeyed and sat obediently on the examining table.

Nervously, her blue eyes wandered to the infirmary's doorway. The faceless knight was leaning lazily against the doorframe with his arms crossed rigidly over the vast plains of his chest.

Kairi could not help but wonder what those _men_ looked like without their helmets on.

"Here," Vexen said impatiently as he handed her a colorless cup filled with blood-red fluid.

"Thank you," Kairi stated out of habit.

_Again?!_

"Fool of a girl," Vexen hissed under his breath and Kairi wasn’t sure if he meant for her to hear his condemning statement or not… She heard it regardless.

Vexen made his way back to Xehanort and they began whispering to one another while Kairi stared skeptically at the solution she was instructed to drink. Her instincts were screaming at her to not drink it. Everything about this substance screamed danger; from the way that it sizzled, to the thin, translucent stream of vapor rising off it, to the unholy color of _blood_ red it exuded.

She could feel their eyes on her and she knew if she didn’t take it on her own soon, a new, much more unpleasant, method of administration would be conducted. Kairi decided taking it on her on volition would be better than being forced…

As quickly as she could, Kairi threw the thick liquid back into her mouth and tried to swallow as much as she could before the disgusting solution could touch her taste buds.

"It may be a while before the medication kicks in," Vexen informed the sinister monarch, "and she should keep taking it daily unless you want her symptoms to return. We can increase the dosage if we need to. Shots can also be administered if necessary."

The more Kairi heard Vexen say, the more she wished she had not just drunk the watery substance he had given her.

_They would have made you take it one way or another. Like he just said ‘shots can be administered if necessary.’ Might as well cooperate…_

The blue-eyed girl swallowed hard and roughly wiped the remaining fluid from her pink-tinted lips. The solution’s taste was still thick on her tongue. Her mouth and throat were burning as what remained of the prickly tonic fizzled and crackled inside of her.

"Let's go, Terra," Xehanort commanded when he finished speaking with Vexen.

Terra's posture straightened before he uncrossed his arms and held the large metal door open.

Kairi stood and she was already feeling funny. She was lightheaded and woozy. Her vision was starting to cloud and she wobbled a bit when her feet connected with the blackened metal of the ships flooring.

Blinking rapidly and struggling for her equilibrium, she followed her unpleasant guides out of the infirmary.

They continued their silent trek down the complex airship hallways until Terra harshly punched a large red button embedded within one of the walls.

Gears turned and pipes hissed as a stairway lowered to the ground outside. Kairi flinched and covered her ultramarine eyes to shield herself from the blinding natural light.

"The Light is not always pleasant, is it, little one?" Xehanort chuckled menacingly as he descended the large metal steps.

Kairi did not answer him as she too made her way down the colossal stairs.

Sand. Sand was absolutely everywhere. Kairi had never seen such vast amounts of swirling gold in her life. They had taken her to the middle of nowhere.

_No one will ever find me out here… I guess, that is the point._

She had heard about the Dark Realm's prisons. She had heard rumors of how no one knew where they were and how they were scattered all over the world in peculiar places. Some even rumored that the prisons were everywhere and that they were merely disguised as normal establishments.

"Whenever you’re ready, Red," Terra grumbled restlessly and tapped his clinking fingers on his metal arms.

After a few seconds, Kairi realized she was still standing on the ship's steps.

"Oh, s-sorry…" she slurred before descending the steps.

As she made her way down, she began wondering why she had slurred so much when apologizing to Terra. Why had talking and moving and even thinking suddenly become such drudgery?

When her feet left the final step, the deleterious golden sand of the wasteland consumed her ankles.

Nearby, another Dark Knight was standing silently in the middle of the whirling sand filled abyss. He was adorned in black armor like all the other Dark Knights. His helmet was different from the others though. His helmet had a faux face.

Wavy spikes jolt from the back of the helmet and from the man's wide shoulders; sharper deadlier spikes even thrusted out of the knight's elbows.

A face a heavy furrowed brow, and white, lifeless eyes glared right at her. A permanent scowl was plastered onto the helmet's artificial face to intimidate and frighten anyone unfortunate enough to lay eyes upon him.

Hues of blue and gold outlined some of the sharp curves and artificial muscles of the impenetrable armor. Metal abs outlined his already present abs made of muscle; everything about the Dark Knight’s armor screamed strength.

"They are your problem now, Saïx," Terra teased as he placed a heavy hand on Saix's spiked shoulder and began trekking through the sand storm.

Terra's massive cape rolled and whipped unnaturally around his large physique as he faded into the golden mass Kairi assumed was burning sand.

Kairi was not even sure where he was heading until she shielded her eyes and saw a monumental, tilted tower sinking eerily into the sea of lethal dunes beneath them.

Kairi knew she had just laid eyes on her prison. That ominous tower would be her new _home_.

* * *

 

Aqua sat silently on one of the broken, stone columns within the forlorn training grounds. She did not go back to the castle after _they_ left. It would be too depressing to go back into the vast, empty castle without two major parts of her family.

The azure girl brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in her.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began drizzling upon her skin. The raindrops sprinkled her flesh and dusted her long, indigo hair making her entire body shimmer in the fleeting moonlight.

"I thought I might find you out here," Ventus addressed her as he journeyed across the empty practice field.

Aqua did not budge an inch.

"You shouldn't leave your sisters alone," she heeded him without raising her head or looking at as he approached her.

"I shouldn't leave you alone either," Ven combated and sat in one of the creamy stone benches next to the ethereal young woman.

"They took her, Ven. They took her right out from under me," Aqua whimpered into her chilled, bare arms.

Ventus did not know what to say to her. What could he say to her? He was not even sure what he was supposed to do with himself.

The golden-haired young man instead decided to rub her back as silent sobs broke from her beautiful lips.

"You should come back to the castle. It's about to rain. You will get sick," his blue eyes shone while he tried to convince the distraught woman to come back with him.

"I don't care. I deserve to get sick after I failed her. What would my parents think of me? What does the Master think of me? Ven, they took the last of my blood!" She condemned herself as she finally removed her head from her arms to look despairingly at Ventus.

"What could you have done differently? Master Eraqus told you not to fight them. You couldn't have fought Terra much less _all three_ of those knights," Ven said before he ran an exasperated hand through his spiky, blonde hair.

"I could have tried! I could have done… _something_ differently," Aqua argued dejectedly.

The blue girl could not stop replaying the situation over and over again in her head. It haunted her, made her sick even.

"And what? You would have fought them and they would have killed you or taken you too," Ventus countered, his tone taking on a harder edge.

"Look," he said softly as he cupped one of her porcelain hands with his, "Aqua, you did what the Master wanted. Them taking Kairi was unexpected, but the Master would have wanted you here with us. He wouldn’t have wanted you to be taken too. Light knows what those _monsters_ would have done to you on that ship,"

Ven squeezed her hand tighter as he thought about what the knights would have done to Aqua. Aqua was lovely. Anyone with eyes could see that.

_If the bastards even **have** eyes under all that armor,_ Ventus hissed to himself.

He was sure the knights would have abused and violated her in unimaginable, dishonorable ways.

The male Keyblade wielder cringed at the thought.

Kairi was young enough to be spared from such tortures, but Aqua was not. Ventus could not keep himself from thinking that if one of them had to be taken, it needed to be Kairi.

"They said they were going to re-educate her. The Overlord said she was not being arrested but she was going to be re-educated," Aqua parroted Lord Xehanort. "Ven, my sister won't be my sister anymore _if_ or when I see her again. They will turn her into a monster."

Ventus could not imagine the grief he would feel if this was happening to one of his biological sisters. He looked at Kairi as a sister, but it was not the same as his bloodline. He had grown up with Xion and Naminé and had raised them for years after their parents died, before Master Eraqus took them in.

That was something he and Aqua had in common. They had been forced to grow up much too quickly in order to help raise their younger siblings after loosing their own parents to the Dark Rule. Out of habit and instinct, he was automatically more protective of Xion and Naminé. They had to be protective of younger sisters…since their parents no longer could be. Aqua and Ven had to be protective for themselves as well as their deceased parents. They had to be the older sibling and the parent. They took on two roles instead of just one. They had to be more and do more. Everything was magnified.

His love for Kairi was just as strong as his love for his true relatives, but it was a different kind of love. Ventus loved each of them differently; even Aqua.

Ven could not bear hearing any of this anymore. He couldn’t even stand thinking about it. How Aqua was able to come out there and dwell on it for hours on end was beyond him.

"Let’s go back, Aqua. Please?" he pleaded with his old friend and held out his hand for her.

After a few moments of silence and some serious internal debates, Aqua complied and took his calloused hand.

"I was mad at her," Aqua admitted blankly as they began walking towards the castle. "We got into a fight yesterday."

"That is normal. We all fight. It is what we do," he offered her a gentle, reassuring smile.

"It wasn't the last thing you did before you lost one of your sisters. I know I was holding her when _everything_ was happening but the last normal interaction we had was…"

"Stop," Ventus interrupted her and squeezed her hand more firmly. "Let’s talk about something else."

They did not talk about anything else. The journey back to their living quarters was filled with painful silence. The only sounds around them were the sound of rain crashing upon the lush, green grass and the gentle rumble of thunder in the distance.

When they reached the large fortress, Ven opened the large door for Aqua and she quietly entered the massive entryway.

" _Aqua!"_

The voice sent a pang of pain and hope through her. For a moment, she thought the voice belonged to Kairi but she quickly reminded herself that it wasn’t possible.

Aqua looked up to see Naminé running towards her with Xion following closely behind. Although the voice belonged to Naminé and not Kairi, the sight of her other siblings still pulled at the corners of her lips.

Naminé was still in her traditional small, white, lacy dress and Xion was still wearing her elegant black sleeveless shirt and blue jean shorts that tightly hugged her hips. Xion's shirt had thin, black straps that caress her shoulders and the bottom of the garment was jagged, ruffled, and short revealing her toned stomach and tiny belly button.

"Hi, guys," said Aqua half-heartedly as Naminé wrapped her arms snuggly around her waist.

Aqua tenderly ran her fingers through the young girl's soft tresses that fell just beyond her dainty shoulders.

Ventus gripped the bridge of his nose. He knew Xion and Naminé would only remind Aqua of her loss. They reminded him of _everyone's_ loss. Kairi was always with Xion and Naminé. They were basically a package. One wasn’t usually seen without the other.

"How are you?" Xion asked genuinely as she uncomfortably ran her fingers through her short raven locks.

"I will be ok. I just want to be alone for a bit. Are all of you alright?" Aqua questioned, her eyes protectively wandering over both of them.

"We will be ok," Xion mimicked as Naminé released Aqua's slender waist.

Ven nodded to his younger siblings, suggesting that he wanted them to let Aqua have her peace.

Cobalt eyes shone weakly as Aqua smiled at her remaining family members before departing down the hallway that led to her room.

Aqua made it halfway down the lengthy hallway but was stopped by a frilly, pink door that stared at her, the door to Kairi's room.

A hesitant, shaky hand reached for the silver doorknob. The cerulean maiden opened the door and her sister's smell invaded her senses, the smell of raspberries…

Slowly, Aqua walked through the bright pink and white room. In a daze, she walked to Kairi's dresser. All of her things were there just as she had left them.

She tightly shut her eyes as she gripped her sister's small bracelet off of the white dresser. The bracelet was pink with small green rhinestones and was outlined with silver spirals.

Aqua steadily ran her fingers over the bracelet's subtle ridges. Pale hands gripped the bracelet as she brought the object to her chest and sighed heavily.

Her smell was all around her and she wasn’t sure if the aroma or the overwhelming urge to cry was causing her eyes to burn and tear.

Instinctively, she squeezed the bracelet even tighter until her knuckles blanched.

When she finally had the courage to reopen her eyes, her mind was made up. She was going to go after her sister.

Indigo tresses flew wildly as Aqua scurried down the hallway to her Master's vacant room. She busted through his massive tan doors and hurriedly began sifting through Eraqus's possessions.

"Come on! Where is it?!" she cried while dug through his dresser drawers leaving piles of clothes in her wake. "It isn't in here..."

She ran through the disheveled pile of clothes and dashed to his oversized closet. As soon as she reached the closet, she began filtering through the clothes that inhabited the closet space.

_I will go to DiZ first. I will explain the situation to him and maybe he can help me. Maybe he or Riku will know enough about the re-education program or the Dark Realm's prisons to give me a clue to where she might be and I will go from there,_ she thought.

"Finally!" she cried and pulled out the large, black hooded cloak she was searching for.

She threw the morbid disguise over her arm and darted out of Master Eraqus's now demolished room.

Aqua bolted out of the back entrance of the castle and paused. She glanced over her heaving shoulder at the fortress she called home for so long…

She couldn’t tell the others goodbye. It would be too painful and seeing them would splinter her resolve to save her sister. They would convince her to stay…and she couldn't stay, not when Kairi needed her.

"I'm sorry…Ventus…Naminé…Xion," she apologized as she began her trek through the rain to the chocobo stables.

The blue-haired girl threw the gloomy cloak over her shoulders and slung her thin arms through the oversized sleeves as she struggled through the intensifying rainstorm.

When she reached the stable, she entered with extreme caution to not frighten the fowl sleeping inside. The last thing she wanted was for the chocobos to become alarmed and start making noise. Aqua did not want anyone to know she was about to leave.

Silently, Aqua walked through scattered piles of hay over to her feathered friend.

Her white chocobo was sound asleep on his side. Most of the fowl slept standing up, but Aqua's chocobo was special. His long white feathers had faint traces of baby blue on their tips. Even his large, potentially deadly talons held subtle hints of cobalt to them.

"Snow," Aqua whispered and ruffled the long white feathers atop his large head. "Come on, buddy, we have to go."

Snow's big navy eyes fluttered a few times before he lightly chirped and rose to his enormous feet. The large white bird stretched his lengthy neck and ruffled his frosty feathers.

The bird's owner grabbed the bird's bulbous neck and led him outside. Once Aqua was sure they were far enough away from the other chocobos, she mounted the bird and tugged the inky hood over hear head. She clicked her tongue and Snow took off toward the forested mountain ranges that lied behind the extravagant castle.

* * *

 

Sora was in solitary confinement. Again. Needless to say prison life was not for him or any other sixteen-year-old boy for that matter. It seemed like he was always in trouble for something but he could not help it. He would just get so _bored._

It was a good thing that Sora was not claustrophobic. The cell he was in was a claustrophobic's worst nightmare. It was small and compact with absolutely no windows, just a massive steel door.

He could hear voices on the other side of the oversized door. They were probably discussing what to do with him now.

Sora chuckled. They had tried their _damnedest_ to break his spirit since he had arrived. When he was brought in, they had taken his identity. He had been stripped of his clothes and everything he wore that had value to him except Kairi's lucky charm. He had managed to keep it away from them though the whole unpleasant degradation process. Sora could not let him take her charm. It meant too much to him. It meant too much to her.

_I will return this. I promise…_ he assured privately.

The Dark Knights had even threatened to shave off his hair. That was also part of the degradation process. They would humiliate prisoners in every way possible. Sora was not sure why they decided against shaving his head. Probably because they knew it would not faze him, especially now that his hair was getting long and unruly. A haircut would actually have been nice now that he thought about it. His straight, brown hair had grown down the back of his tanned neck and his bangs now hung over his blue eyes; much longer than it had ever been before. He wasn’t too crazy about his new grungy, gruff prison look…

After being stripped naked and talked to like the scum of the earth, Sora was given his… _uniform._ Everyone's was the same. A long, baggy gray shirt, a black rope they foolishly called a belt, thin sandals that barely qualified as shoes and even baggier black pants.

Before Sora could dwell on his appearance and apparel any longer, an annoyed Terra busted into Sora's cell.

Metal roared and groaned against the stone walling from Terra's unnecessary force and roughness.

"Don't you people knock?" Sora playfully taunted the pissed off knight.

"I don't have to" Terra countered curtly as he approached Sora.

"What did he do this time?" the high-ranking knight asked one of the common prison guards dressed in simple, black armor. If Terra were not wearing his helmet, he would have been rubbing his eyes in vexation.

"We caught him trying to crawl out of one of the tower windows in the eating hall sir," the standard guard answered respectfully.

"I wasn't trying to crawl out of it. I was just…inspecting it," Sora explained as he tugged at his cuffed hands.

"So that you _could_ crawl out of it," Terra snapped impatiently.

Terra smirked. "Get two more guards. I want him to be searched again."

"Yes sir," the shaky guard answered before sprinting out of the constricting cell to find more guards.

Terra usually wasn't a knight that was used within prisons. Prison duties usually went so Saïx and Roxas, but since Terra was at the Purge that had acquired Sora he had gotten roped into some responsibility for the spirited brunette.

Apparently, Terra was the only one capable of dealing with the feisty boy. Saïx had his fill of him after their first few minutes together. It was very possible that Terra was the only knight left willing to deal with him anymore.

Terra was nothing if not persistent. That was what made him such a good Dark Knight. He was determined and relentless.

The blackened warrior was convinced that he could break Sora. He just needed to find his weakness and _everyone_ had a weakness. Terra would examine Sora until he found it. Once Sora was broken, Terra wouldn't have to deal with him anymore and he could go back home to Hollow Bastion and maybe get some time off.

"No funny business," Terra warned as he removed the rusted restraints from Sora's wrists so that he could be searched when the guards arrived.

"Whatever," Sora huffed before he rotated his newly freed and stiff wrists.

Sora gradually rose to his feet, forgetting he had been holding Kairi's charm in his lap.

_Shit!_ his mind screamed.

Before the younger boy could even react, Terra's metal foot stomped onto the fallen charm.

Sora winced.

"Well, well, well," Terra said much too cheerfully, "What could this be?"

His gauntlet-covered hand grasped the helpless charm and held it out in front of him.

"Can… Can I have that back?" Sora actually pleaded.

"Why would you want this piece of _shit_ back?" Terra taunted as he haphazardly began twirling the charm over his thick, long fingers.

"It is _not_ a piece of shit," Sora seethed as he tried to grab the charm that twisted over Terra's monstrous knuckles.

"Uh, oh! Did I strike a nerve?" the armored man asked and yanked the charm away from Sora's grasp.

Sora did not answer he only stared blankly at the floor, his blood boiling.

"I did!" Terra mocked before he leaned toward the boy's emotionless face.

"I suppose you can have it back _if_ you ask nicely," the ebony soldier teased as he began casually pacing around the chocolate haired boy like a predator.

"Can I have it back?" Sora tried to ask genuinely.

"Hmmm, I think you could be nicer than that," Terra playfully yawned, stretching his arms out over his helmeted head and popping his neck.

"Sir, can I please have it back?" Sora begged for his only possession yet again.

"Nah," the ominous man answered and tucked the charm into his invisible pocket.

"You! You fuc--" Sora's insult was cut short by Terra's armored fist being shoved violently into his abdomen.

Sora choked, coughed, and gagged as he fell harshly to his hands and knees.

"The search won't be necessary, gentlemen," Terra instructed the guards waiting in the doorway as he began casually exiting Sora's cell.

"He can leave now," he added as he glanced at the boy who was now crumpled on the grimy, damp prison floor before vanishing from sight.

* * *

 

By the next afternoon, Aqua had finally reached the metropolis of Naefre (The World That Never Was), The city of perpetual night. 

"Alright, Snow, you are going to have to stay here until I get back. I don't think people in the city would appreciate me bringing in a chocobo… Sorry," she said as she wrapped the fowl's reins around one of the trees on the outskirts of the city.

Aqua had been to Naefre before but it had been a while since she had last visited. Naefre was one of the last neutral cities left. DiZ had done a magnificent job of remaining neutral, negotiating, and keeping the Dark Overlords happy so they wouldn’t do anything to him or his city. Eraqus never approved of his tactics, but everyone had to admit that they worked.

DiZ was an instructor like Master Eraqus and Master Yen Sid, but DiZ wasn’t a Keyblade Master and did not solely teach Light students. DiZ did not pick sides within the struggle between Light and Darkness and he did not discriminate.

Aqua knew coming to see him was a gamble, but she did not know where else to go. If anyone could help her, it would be DiZ.

After walking through the city for a while, Aqua started to remember why she had stopped visiting Naefre. The city was crawling with gloomy Dark Followers and standard Dark Knights, but at least they weren't the higher-ranked knights like Vanitas and Terra.

_This is just how the world is now. Your home is unique remember?_ she tried to remind herself.

Aqua timidly walked through the blackened city with bright neon lights and gigantic, buzzing billboards. Instinctively, she tried to bury herself even deeper within her hood. She did not want anyone to see her unique features… Aqua was afraid she looked too much like a Child of Light.

_You stand out like a sore thumb, Aqua…_

Considering Naefre was neutral territory, there were probably other Children of Light throughout the city who had taken refuge there too, but they were outnumbered. Because of that, she just didn’t want to take any chances.

Eventually, Aqua reached DiZ’s citadel and noticed two informal guards watched over the entry to the headquarters.

"Excuse me," she began confidently. "I need to speak with Riku. Tell him Aqua is here to see him."

One of the guards silently nodded and retreated into the giant, barbed building that was almost large enough to be considered a castle.

Shortly after the guard left, he reappeared with Riku at his side. Riku was clad in the same type of cloak Aqua was wearing. His long silver hair covered his face and flowed down past his broad shoulders. Riku was almost years older than her.

_I guess he is almost twenty now._

Aqua's heart soared at the sight of a familiar face. The girl reluctantly removed her hood so she could smile and greet her old friend properly. Riku grinned at the cerulean woman for a moment before his face quickly fell.

"It is good to see you, Aqua. To what do we owe the pleasure?" the silver-haired boy asked, his piercing light blue eyes glowing in the world's darkness.

"I would rather not talk about it out here. I would like to have a meeting with DiZ so I can explain my situation to both of you," the female Keyblade wielder said as she began fidgeting with her fingertips.

"Of course. I will see what I can do," the Dark Keyblade Master said before he turned on his heel and began heading into the colossal residence.

Without turning around, he lifted his hand and motioned for Aqua to follow him.

* * *

 

"So they finally Purged Eraqus," DiZ said as he stroked his cloth-covered chin while sitting at his messy, paper-covered desk.

Diz's face was wrapped in red cloth so that only one of his bright orange eyes could examine the girl before him.

"Yes. I know that I cannot fix that. My Master explained to me that he was being Purged for fighting for the Light during the Great War. What I am really here about is my sister. She didn’t do anything wrong. She is only fourteen," Aqua continued while Riku stood stoically at her side.

"That is only half the reason of why your master was Purged," DiZ said casually as he completely ignored Aqua's statement about her sister. "You were raised as a Child of Light, were you not?"

Aqua was taken aback by the question.

Her big blue eyes went wide. "I suppose…"

"If you were raised to believe that the Dark Rule is bad and that the Dark Overlords and their henchmen are evil then you were raised as a Child of Light," the man clad in red said gruffly. “If you serve the Light and are a Light Keyblade wielder, you are a Child of Light.”

The girl simply nodded. Diz intimidated and slightly frightened her.

"Taking your sister was likely an act to alter the future. Since your sister has committed no crimes against the Dark Rule and was not arrested, one would assume that they want to keep her from doing something she shouldn’t or that they want use her."

"What do you mean _use_ her?" Aqua asked a bit too harshly.

"A Seer Sage probably saw a future that the Overlords either did or did not approve of. Taking your sister probably changed or ensured that future depending on what they saw,” he explained.

"For example, let us say the seer saw a future where your sister became a Light Keyblade Master and defeated one of the Overlords. To prevent that from happening, they took your sister to be re-educated. You see?" DiZ tried again to make their potential operations clear.

"Yes. I think so," Aqua answered solemnly.

"Where could they have taken her? What does re-educated even mean?" she continued to question him.

"Finding your sister now will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Prisons are scattered and hidden everywhere. It would be challenging to find the prison they took her to, to say the least. However, I would guess she would be at one of the maximum-security prisons, but I know nothing of these re-education programs." DiZ replied dismissively as he stood and made his way around his desk.

"Isn't there any way you could help me? Isn't there _something_ you could do about them? About all this? Diz they are going to far," Aqua pleaded and placed a hand over her pounding heart.

"I am afraid not. We are all bound to their rules. This is their world, we simply live in it," DiZ responded blankly, his eyes growing dark and distant.

Aqua could not help but notice how even DiZ seemed miserable in this world. DiZ was not a Child of Light, but Aqua could tell that he too suffered at the hands of the Dark Rule.

"DiZ there has to be something we could do." Riku finally stated. "I could go with her to help her look for her sister. We could--"

"I forbid it!" DiZ roared and Aqua flinched. "We have worked too hard to stay neutral, to stay safe! I refuse to contaminate myself with this! It’s blasphemy and treason to oppose them! You know that!"

"But Master!" Riku took a beseeching step forward.

Aqua gently placed an elegant hand on Riku's shoulder. "It’s alright, Riku. I do not want to endanger all of you. This is our mess. I apologize for involving you in this. Thank you for all your time. I wish you all the best."

The sapphire Keyblade wielder bowed politely and exited.

After leaving the large, stately home, Aqua lifted her hood and began tucking her long, blue tresses back into the shadows of her hood as she prepared herself for the depressing trip out of Naefre.

_"Wait!"_ she faintly heard someone calling after her, causing her to turn slightly toward the direction of the voice.

Riku dashed though the steady stream of rain to Aqua's side. "I am coming with you."

"You shouldn't… DiZ said"

"I know what DiZ said but I also know what I think I should do. I believe I should go with you, at least as an escort. It is dangerous out there and you shouldn't have to look for Kairi alone. I can't get my hands dirty, but I will do what I can," Riku said with a small smile on his frosty features.

"Thank you, Riku."

Aqua felt so relieved to have some form of companionship. She had been dreading the long and possibly endless journey alone.

Riku knelt down on the street and pulled a large map out of his pocket and spread it out across the concrete.

"Doma is a town not too far from here," he stated while he pointed to one of the red dots on the massive map. "Lots of ex knights have retired and gone to live there. Maybe if we go there, we can get some information about some of the Dark Realm's prisons. I know it's not much but it is all I have to go on."

"Hey your plan is better than mine," she chuckled dryly.

"What was your plan?" Riku asked as he began carefully folding up his map.

"I-I…didn't have one," she admitted and used her hood to shield her blushing face.

Riku laughed loudly and patted her back. "Come on. Let’s get going."

* * *

 

Terra had finally gotten back from Palamecian Desert's prison and he was absolutely exhausted. He had not truly slept since he had departed for the Purge in the Land of Departure and he was finally returning home to Hollow Bastion.

Now that he believed he had found a way of conquering Sora he had _politely_ dismissed himself from the towering prison.

As soon as he entered, Tarnen Palace, where the Dark Overlords and their servants took residence, he removed his stifling helmet. Dark Knights were forbidden to remove their helmets in public. Dark Knights were supposed to be intimidating and emotionless. They were not supposed to possess _any_ human qualities. Dark Knights had to always create the illusion of being immortal.

The knight secured his helmet under one arm before using his free hand to tussle his matted and short chocolate-colored hair. He exhaled heavily before taking in a large breath of clean, cool air.

Terra never realized how suffocating his helmet was until he removed it.

The warrior was supposed to check in with the Overlords upon arrival but Terra was so tired he just wanted to rest in his room for a moment. He was also quite certain he would get another assignment if he spoke to his monarchs and that was something he would like to postpone if possible.

Terra was almost to his door when he noticed Larxene leaning daintily on his burgundy door.

_Fuck…_

Larxene was barely clothed in an exquisite, black dress that was much too revealing, short, and tight. The sleeveless dress had a high black collar that fanned out bizarrely over her appetizing, bare shoulders and provocatively zipped down the front of her body. The bottom of the small dress flowed and rippled out at her curvy hips. Larxene's dazzling green eyes glistened dangerously as she noticed Terra.

_She knew I was coming. Damn seer._

"Why are you on my door?" he asked as he clenched his helmet in irritation. The metal of the helmet lightly clinking from the pressure he applied to it.

"Can I not greet the returning hero?" she asked as she innocently twirled a piece of her sleek, straight chin length hair with her fingers.

Terra rolled his deep blue eyes.

"Move before I make you move," he threatened before he got closer to her to magnify his threat.

Larxene smirked at him and gracefully removed herself from his large burgundy door.

Terra grabbed the tow-colored doorknob and entered his stuffy, neglected room. Upon entering, he carelessly tossed his helmet onto his luxurious crimson and ebony bed.

Before he could do anything else, he heard Larxene's high heels beating the floor behind him.

"Oh, by the way, you are wanted in the Grand Hall," she said impishly while she rested against his mahogany desk.

Terra sighed heavily before he pressed his hands into his bed and lowered his head. "I am aware."

"Something about you tracking down some girl," the blonde stated and began examining her flawless fingernails.

The now annoyed knight exhaled sharply through his flared nostrils. "I just got done taking care of ‘ _some_ _girl_.’"

"Well, now you have to babysit another one," she chuckled wildly. Larxene was enjoying this way too much.

"Can I not rest for like ten minutes?" Terra asked and turned coarsely to face her.

"Nope. I will go tell them you’re back from the Palamecia’s prison," Larxene said before she exited the Dark Knight's room.

"Thanks!" he yelled sarcastically as his hands sunk deeper into his flaccid mattress.

The exhausted man reluctantly grabbed his helmet and exited the room he _just_ entered.

He followed the sound Larxene's high heels and when he caught up with her he realized the revealing dress was also backless.

_Of course,_ he smirked as he tiled his head and examined the young woman's hourglass figure.

Terra knew the Seer Sage could sense him eyeing her. She always had a sassy walk but the walk she exuded now was down right seductive. Larxene was _not_ modest.

The seeress stopped walking when they reached the enormous doors that led to the Grand Hall.

"Shall I announce you or will you just bust in like a brute like you usually do," she teased as she crossed her arms.

"I will let you do the honors since you took the time come to my room and harass me about it," Terra said calmly as he placed his helmet over his head.

Larxene smiled and nimbly entered the Grand Hall that contained the three Dark Overlords.

The blonde seer nimbly walked down the lengthy red carpet that led to the three thrones at the head of the gigantic throne room. Once she reached the monarchy, she curtsied with an exceptional amount of poise.

"My Lords, Terra has returned. He is ready to see you when you see fit," Larxene spoke gently, her words polished and refined.

"Bring him in," Lord Xehanort replied.

Terra heard the command, but he still awaited Larxene's signal.

The emerald-eyed woman gazed back at him and calmly motioned for him to approach.

Terra groaned inwardly. Larxene knew something he didn't. That was the only explanation for why she was _so_ eager for him to meet with the Overlords. The twisted young woman found enjoyment in the most bizarre ways.

The knight rattled and clanked down the carpeted walkway. Large crimson tapestries hung behind each monarch's throne. The Heartless Insignia behind Ansem, the Nobody Emblem behind Xemnas, and the Unversed Crest behind Xehanort. Each symbol-represented titles obtained during the war and also represented different sectors of the Dark Realm. Every Overlord had their jurisdiction and their area of expertise. However, while Xemnas and Ansem had equal amounts of power, Xehanort was the undisputed monarch among monarchs.

Royal blue eyes scanned the room he had examined a million times before. The blood-red carpeted walkway was lined by large vermillion columns that supported the ceiling of the colossal room while the walls were stained black. Portraits of the Dark Overlords dangled from the charcoal walls that traced the Grand Hall. Menacing weapons, vicious shields, and former Dark Knight's armor decorate every contour and crevasse of the elaborate room.

Terra reached the steps that ascend to the thrones, removed his unique helmet, and he knelt at the rulers' feet, holding his head low in compliance until he was addressed.

"You may rise," Xehanort said as he waved his crumpled hand dismissively.

Terra obeyed and stoically stood next to Larxene. He placed his hands behind his armored back and stood erect and with confidence while the jade-eyed woman next to him stood casually with one hand on her hip. Obedience was not as important when it came to Seer Sages.

"We wish to discuss Eraqus's students with you," Xemnas was the next to speak.

"Which ones my lord?" Terra inquired for he truly was not sure which one they spoke of.

_I am not a Seer Sage…_ he thought scornfully.

"Kairi and her sister," Xehanort answered.

"What about them?" asked the Dark Keyblade Master.

"A new future has been set into motion. Taking Kairi has altered the future as we had hoped. However, taking Kairi has triggered actions from her sister that we did not expect," Xemnas explained as he crossed his legs and rested his elbow on his armrest.

"Her sister is looking for her now," Larxene added and pulled a golden lock of hair behind her ear.

"She won't find her. Kairi is in the Palamecian Desert Prison. She will die trying to find her," Terra scoffed at the suggestion.

"That is beside the point," Ansem snapped. "The girl needs to be dealt before bigger problems develop."

If they wouldn't have known he was rolling his eyes, he would have.

What could two small girls possibly do? Terra had seen both of them and he had yet to see what the big deal was.

"Aqua is to be found, captured, and brought back here for rehabilitation," Xehanort said sternly as if reading his thoughts.

"We are not worried about the girl finding her sister. We wish to use her before she gets herself killed or before she awakens her _powers_. She holds potential. If we act now, we can harness it and possibly use it in our favor," Ansem said before he laced his fingers and placed them under his strong chin.

"Taking Kairi has triggered Aqua's awakening. If she is not obtained and stopped now, she will gain immense powers in order to save her sister. Not to mention the rest of Eraqus's student will rally behind her," Larxene explained a bit more so Terra would understand the importance of the solitary girl. Larxene had known Terra since childhood and she could read his subtle body language. She could sense his skepticism.

The knight nodded.

The Dark Overlords may have bitten off a bit more than they could chew by taking the red-haired girl preemptively. Such are the risks that come with attempting to control and alter the future. By fixing one problem, another could surface. A domino effect could easily be triggered and Terra suspected that was what was happening now so they are sending him in to do damage control.

_Like always._

"Saïx and Vanitas will go with you," Xemnas instructed as he rested his chin on his clenched fist.

"For one girl?" Terra snapped without thinking. He had encountered the blue girl before and he was far from impressed. The knight had effortlessly thrown her around like a rag doll.

"She has obtained a powerful escort," Ansem stated and began popping his knuckles.

"Do not underestimate her," Xehanort heeded darkly as he stood and locked his arms behind his hunched back.

"Yes, sire. We shall leave immediately," the Dark Knight answered as he again fell to his knees before his liege. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> As you have probably noticed, this is a Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts hybrid. It will contain things like chocobos and Final Fantasy terms and I also use the names of Final Fantasy towns. Oh and speaking of chocobos Aqua's chocobo, Snow, is based on the chocobos from the Final Fantasy XIII series but with my color alterations. If you are not familiar with Final Fantasy XIII, chocobos in general, or if you simply want to look at what I am talking about you can search something like Final Fantasy XIII chocobos and you can look at the crazy looking things. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. The Runaway Found

* * *

_You shatter me_

_Your grip on me_

_A hold on me so dull it kills_

_You stifle me_

_Infectious sense of hopelessness and prayers for rain_

_I suffocate_

_I breathe in dirt and nowhere shines but desolate and drab_

_The hours all spent on killing time again_

_All waiting for the rain_

_-Prayers for Rain, The Cure_

* * *

Riku and Aqua had traveled all night and Aqua was absolutely worn out. Riku had refused to let them stop until they reached a town called Amur. Amur was going to be one of their pit stops before reaching their destination of Doma. He stressed that they did not need to camp in the woods and should wait until they reached the safety of a town. Bandits and feral monsters lurked in the woods and it was not wise to stay in one place for too long. Once they started on the path though the wood, they could not stop.

"Sorry Snow couldn't keep carrying us. He gets tired faster when two people are riding him," Aqua apologized as she patted her chocobo's long, feathered neck.

"It's fine. I am perfectly capable of walking," Riku stated while he sliced through low hanging branches that blocked their path with his dark, winged Keyblade.

Aqua and Riku had taken turns cutting paths through the bulky wood and Aqua was currently taking her break as she kept watch for Riku, making sure nothing or no one snuck up on him while he was distracted.

"Please tell me we are close," Aqua whined as she rotated her aching shoulders and stretched her stiff neck.

"It should not be much farther," the silver-haired Keyblade Master announced.

It was midday and the vibrant sun was beaming through the lush, forested canopy above them. Aqua kept looking all around them for any signs of civilization, but could never find any. The only thing she saw was woodland, woodland, and more woodland.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Aqua finally saw the abundant forest receding.

"Finally!" she exclaimed and sprinting ahead of Riku with Snow hot on her heels.

Aqua was _so_ sick of the endless amounts of green.

"Wait!" Riku shouted before he ran in front of her and blocked her advance out of the woodland. "We don't know who is here. Be cautious and keep your hood up. Let me lead, okay?"

Aqua nodded, "Sorry, I got ahead of myself. I am just so tired. Obviously, I can't even think straight anymore."

"It's okay. I doubt the Dark Overlords have sent anyone after us yet. It is still really early, but I still want us to be careful. We can't underestimate them," he explained and watched her with sincere eyes. "We need to travel as if they are following us."

"I understand," she bobbed her head in acknowledgement. She had been so distracted by the forest and its dangers that she had not even thought of the Overlords or the Dark Rule.

Riku turned mute as he began leading her out of the rich forest and into the town of Amur.

"Should I leave Snow out here?" the sapphire Keyblade Wielder asked as she pulled the large bird by his reins.

"Probably, but they may have some stables here that we can keep him in until we leave. I have some munny, we can pay for him to stay if we have to," he said calmly and began walking over the tiny rocky bridge that marked the entryway to the small town.

Amur was a bizarre town divided into several square sectors by narrow waterways. Petite, pebbled bridges hovered over slim water channels and marked the entrance of each of the town's sectors. Colorful flora and towering trees grew on the top of each of the square, concrete sectors surrounded by streaming water. Quant cottage like establishments with white stonewalls and caramel colored shingles filled the elevated sectors.

"Come on. We need to find somewhere to stay," Riku insisted and began analyzing the many buildings around them.

* * *

The three Dark Knights were lazily waiting outside the entrance of Amur's local tavern. Loud music and drunken, uproarious laughter erupted from its doorway and windows.

Terra leaned casually against the doorframe with his muscular arms crossed over his plated chest while Vanitas drummed his coal-black fingers impatiently on the sizable barrel he was halfway sitting on nearby. Finally, Saïx sat outstretched over the flat steps of the tavern entrance, his elbows supporting his thick frame.

"I can't stand it. I gotta have something to drink!" Vanitas declared as he stood and prepared to barrel into the pub.

"Stay put!" Terra roared and left the doorframe to halt Vanitas's advance. "You need to have your wits when they get here. You are useless to me if you are tipsy."

"Can't I just have a little one?" Vanitas questioned and pinched his fingers together to emphasize that he only wanted a small drink.

"You mean a shot?" Saïx scoffed as he lazily looked back at Vanitas through the lifeless, white sockets of his helmet.

"No. No shots. We need to stay here. According to Larxene's vision, this is where they will be passing though and we need to be here when they do," Terra explained as he intersected his legs and again propped himself up within the doorframe.

Larxene could project visions into another person's conscious through physical touch. It was excruciating. Terra hated when it was required for him to receive visions in order to successfully carry out missions. It was like she was electrocuting him from the inside out but he could see everything that she had seen.

"There should be an Inn around here somewhere," Terra heard a strong male voice echoing down the moss-covered the street.

"Right on schedule," he informed his partners with a smirk.

Vanitas huffed and rolled his golden eyes within his sleek helmet while Terra again crossed his arms and waited for his prey to come into view.

As Aqua and Riku rounded the street corner, her heart sank, her breath hitched, and her knees almost buckled. Dark Knights were at the entrance of the tavern and not the standard kind or subpar Dark Knights that were created throughout the Dark Realm. No, these were the real deal, the worst of the worst, the elite, the supreme Dark Knights from Hollow Bastion and they were looking right at her…as if they were expecting her.

Instinctively, Riku held his arm in front of her.

"Stop," he softly instructed even though Aqua gave _no_ indication that she wanted to keep walking.

Terra scoffed inside his thick armor. He hated how accurate the Seer Sages visions could be. Larxene's vision had been eerily precise. The time of day, the clothes they wore, the way they walked and even the reaction they had when they noticed them was _exactly_ the same.

"Well, well, well," Vanitas spoke first. "If it isn't the half-baked Keyblade Master."

"Hello, Vanitas," Riku acknowledged his fellow Dark Keyblade Master but not the insult that fell from his tainted lips.

Aqua tried to vanish behind Riku and her black hood as Vanitas gradually began closing in on them. Large water colored eyes glanced behind the crazed keyblade master. Terra and a knight in spiked armor she had never seen before stood casually behind their comrade. They had not budged since she saw them.

"Word is you are traveling with a turncoat," Vanitas said as he glanced behind Riku at the hooded girl.

Aqua could not see his face or his eyes but she knew he was glaring right at her. She couldn't keep herself from shrinking under his invisible gaze.

_So, they already know that I am going against them to find my sister._

"Or is this your new girlfriend?" he teased before snickering abnormally within his smooth helmet.

"Enough," Terra stopped the nonsense and approached the immobile duo.

The hidden girl shrank even more as the bronze man approached them.

"We just want her," Terra stated and inclined his head toward Aqua, "And we _will_ take her."

Terra began straightening his black and gold gauntlets. "So, you have a decision to make. Either you hand her over and you can go about your business, or you can resist us and we take her anyway."

"If you hand her over, your life will be _a lot_ easier," Vanitas threatened as he took out his Keyblade and began chipping dried blood off the jagged edges of the weapon

"Aqua. Run," Riku whispered to her as he summoned his Keyblade in his gloved hand.

The decision had been made and Aqua bolted. Riku did not have to tell her to run twice.

The instant Terra saw the concealed girl move, he took off after her.

"You two take care of him!" he shouted as he ran after his target.

Saïx summoned Claymore as Vanitas lunged at Riku. The Dark Keyblades violently collided and blackened sparks flew from the ferocious impact.

Aqua's hood fell as she ran and she did not even bother to fix it. They had found her and they knew who she was and what she wanted to do.

_No sense in hiding now,_ she mused privately.

Her lungs started to burn as she gained a steady, increasing pace. The terrifying sound of clinking, savage armor prickled unpleasantly at her ears and she knew at least one of them was already following her.

Aqua ran not only for herself, but for her sister as well. She could not get captured. Her sister's safety and wellbeing depended on it. Kairi needed her. She needed her to be free. The elder sibling would be worthless to her sister if she were taken captive or killed...

The lethal sound of Dark Knight armor grew louder and bashed against her sensitive eardrums. He was gaining on her and she would have to go on the offensive soon but she was prolonging that confrontation as long as she could. He was stronger than her, more skilled than her. He was a Keyblade Master while she was just a wielder. She hadn't obtained the Mark of Mastery but he had. Not to mention, he killed for a living. This was what he did. It was his specialty.

Unable to avoid the inevitable for much longer, Aqua lowered her body temperature and prepared to use magic to attempt to escape the metal predator on her heels.

The girl was fast, Terra would give her that much but he was persistent. All he had to do was catch her. She could not best him physically. If he got his hands on her, it would be over.

Her azure hair flew wildly behind her as she continuously rounded the town's maze like alleyways. She would run out of new paths to take soon. It was only a matter of time before she would collide with a dead-end or a waterway without a bridge to carry her into the next district. Aqua did not know the layout of this town and it was a major disadvantage. The only sense of direction she had was the direction the Dark Knight was chasing her in.

Ice began to build in her veins as chips of frost began to form on her skin and started to trickle off her body, leaving an icy trail of diamond dust behind her.

Terra could see the faint, glimmering pieces of ice manifesting on her.

_Is she conjuring?_ he thought to himself as he summoned his wide Keyblade in his hand. He was not about to let her use magic.

The knight reeled the Keblade far behind his head as he prepared to strike the back of her head and knock her unconscious.

Aqua's eyes widened as she saw the dark man's shadow consume her own that lied on the ground before her.

Terra's shadow held its Keyblade high over its head and the young woman gasped and instinctively summoned Rainfell.

With amazing reflexes, Aqua spun around and quickly caught the fatal blow of the massive Keyblade with her own but Terra's force was too much and she collapsed onto her back with the knight looming on top her. Their Keyblades intersected violently and bright, orange sparks fell off the grinding metal of the conflicting weapons.

Terra placed another hand on the hilt of his Keyblade and applied more pressure onto the woman's blade as he dug his foot further into the ground she vulnerably laid on. Grunts and moans erupted from her staining throat as she fended off the colossal Keyblade's advances toward her body. Aqua glared furiously into the lifeless face of his helmet as her teeth harshly scraped along each other within her clenched mouth.

He was twice her size and she would never be able to overpower him physically. She would have to use her other skills to gain an advantage. She had to rely on other tactics.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly through her nose and a pool of ice began to form at Terra's metal feet. With as much strength as she could muster, she recoiled her legs and plunged both her feet into his armored stomach.

A muffled, guttural sound blasted out of his mouth as he lost his footing and stumbled backwards. As soon as he was off her, she rolled off her back onto all fours and began crawling away from the Dark Knight. Gradually, Aqua crawled back to her feet and began hobbling forward as she slowly regained her natural grace.

Her feet soared over the cobblestone until she finally reached the dead-end she had been anticipating. Her feet teetered on the edge of the aging, cracked cobblestone as her arms flailed frantically in order to regain her balance; panic stricken eyes widened as she stared down at the surging, watery channel below her.

Terra eventually caught up with her after being taken off guard by his feisty quarry and smirked when he noticed the dead in that lied before her.

_It's over, Blue,_ he thought smugly.

Just as he thought the young woman had nowhere else to go, she swung her dainty hands out in front of her shimmering, frost kissed body in an upward motion and created a frozen path leading to the building tops behind her.

_Sorcery. Damn white witch!_ he cursed.

The sapphire girl began fleeing up the icy inclined trail with unbelievable amounts of grace.

The armored man clumsily slipped and slid all over the ascending, magical stairway and leapt at Aqua. Desperately, he tried to grab her before she reached the safety of the rooftops. Before she could get too far from him, his gauntleted hand managed to grip the bottom of her black cloak.

The blue Keyblade wielder choked as the garment cut off the circulation to her neck. Frantically, she grabbed at her rasping throat while Terra pulled on the garment trying to reel the girl back to him.

"Let go!" she screamed and whirled around to stop the strangulation.

Her hand was suddenly coated in a blinding, white light as shot glacial frost onto Terra's arm and his faceless helmet.

His hand was ablaze from the intense cold of her ice, but he was _not_ letting go. As painful as it was, it was not enough to deter him.

Realizing her first attack wasn't enough, Aqua inhaled as deeply as she could before blowing more wintery ice onto Terra.

The entire right side of his helmet was frozen and the magical, gelid liquid was spreading and making its way into his helmet and onto his warm face. It hurt. It hurt like hell, but he was so close to conquering her he could not succumb to the pain the her unique Blizzard spells inflicted upon him.

"I said, **let go** _!"_ she shouted from scorching, deflated lungs before she gracefully whipped her leg around and kicked Terra harshly across the frozen side of his face.

The featureless helmet shattered like glass as they both tumbled cruelly through the thin, arctic pathway and back onto the hard, unforgiving ground.

After recovering from the immediate pain of the harsh impact, Aqua returned to her uncoordinated feet as quickly as possible. Once she realized she hadn't broken anything and that she wasn't too hurt to stand, her first instinct was to look over at the crouching, seething Dark Knight.

Pupils within radiant sapphire eyes dilated. Over half of the front of his helmet was gone and she could see half of his... _face_ …

Aqua was not sure what baffled her more, the fact that he actually _had_ a face or the fact that it was…a _human_ face.

She had always pictured a monster underneath the helmet, a beast with toxic red eyes, sharp cannibalistic teeth, and rotting black flesh. She had _never_ envisioned a _genuine_ face. No, never a face, never a human face; especially not one with smoldering blue eyes, straight chalky teeth, and tan skin…

Terra glared at her with one deep, midnight blue eye. Aqua did not have to see both of his eyes to feel the intensity of his gaze penetrating through her and into her bones. His pristine teeth were clenched and barred as thin strands of chocolate-brown hair danced over his brutally, blue eye.

His armored chest heaved rigorously as his rasping breath hissed through his tightly clenched, snarling teeth. What remained of his helmet was cracked, chipped and fractured.

After being hypnotized by the enraged knight for what seemed like a short eternity, Aqua decided she should make a break for it before the combatant rose from his crouched kneeling position and came after her again. Rapidly, she repaired her ruined, icy stairway and unzipped the heavy, cloak as she ran up the slippery slope. She did not want to get strangled again.

"So you want to use magic?" he yelled at the girl who now sprinted across the building rooftops. "Alright! Let's use magic!"

Terra slammed his metal boot firmly into the earth and a huge land mass erupted from the ground that launched him to the rooftop Aqua sprinted across. The black cloak finally fell from her body and she felt the earthquake he commanded shake the buildings and she knew he had gotten up.

Her muscles ached, cramped, and begged for rest as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Soon she realized that traveling on the rooftops was much slower than running along the grass and streets. Her blue eyes examined the terrain before her as she looked for a space she could disappear into.

_I can't outrun him but maybe I can outsmart him._

Finally, her eyes took in a small crevasse between a long building and a rocky, moss-topped wall of a hillside that marked the outskirt of the town. She disappeared down into it and summoned a snowfield onto the concrete to lessen the impact of the fall.

Snowflakes danced and fluttered all around her as her body collided with the ground. Bright azure eyes darted back and forth across the shaded passageway. She was almost back to the town square where the chase started. She was almost back at the tavern...

As she began sprinting in the opposite direction, she frequently peered over her shoulder for an infuriated Terra. Her entire body was absolutely covered in a constant gnawing pain from all the running, fighting, and magic use. She was way too tired for this kind of exertion. She didn't know how long she could keep this up.

The sound of rattling, lethal armor no longer violated her senses.

With trembling legs, she stopped walking so she could listen for _him_.

Everything was deadly quiet. All she could hear was the ruthless thudding of her hyper heartbeat in her blood-filled ears and the sound of surging water that gushed from the stone waterfall at the hillsides base as it emptied into one of the many city water channels.

With a heaving chest, she turned on her heel to run out of the town towards the woods where she stood a better chance of escaping. She turned swiftly and crashed into bone-chilling carapace so hard that unearthly sounds reverberated off the collision.

Gauntlet covered hands savagely seized her innocent wrists and reluctant cobalt eyes traveled up metal abs and a gargantuan chest plate to a fractured helmet. A flawless mouth hung in a flat, lifeless line and a solitary royal blue eye silhouetted by brown tresses scowled at her.

It was Terra. Terra had caught her.

Terra could feel the temperature dropping inside her wrists and he knew she was about to use her powerful magic again.

"Stop!" he commanded as he tightened his armored grip around her wrists, twisting his hands and grinding the jagged metal into the tender skin of her wrists.

Aqua wailed as her knees gave from the intense and sudden pain. The young woman would have completely fallen to her knees if Terra were not holding her up by her wrists.

"Did you get her?" Vanitas called as he approached them from around the huge building corner.

"Yeah. I got her," he said in between ragged breaths, panting from exertion. He peered down at her and he could see the rage brewing in her icy eye as she glared at him.

Vantias and Saïx were dragging Riku by each of his arms along the cobblestone of the street. When the demon knights reached them, they threw the unconscious Keyblade Master to the ground at Aqua and Terra's feet.

"Riku!" she cried as she made a futile attempt to run to him. The instant she saw Riku she completely forgotten about Terra's harsh hold on her wrists.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the knight holding her heeded as he reeled her back by her wrists.

His grip was absolute agony. The metal that made up his gauntlets ripped and tore her skin with every move she made. The more she moved the tighter the grasp became and the deeper the lacerations on her wrists got.

Terra repositioned his hold so he could hold his captive's wrists with one of his hands and Aqua could not help but notice how massive his hand had to be in order to hold both of her wrists so firmly.

The warrior roughly discarded what remained of his fractured, partially frozen helmet. "You know what, Blue?" He shook his head and brought the back of his hand up to his bleeding mouth. "I think you busted my lip."

"Good," she hissed before she looked away from his face and focused on the ground in front of Riku's crumpled body instead.

Aqua hated how human _he_ looked. The revealed knight was not ugly. In fact, he was even less ugly with the rest of his face exposed. She had been hoping that he would look worse once the rest of the helmet was gone. He didn't.

When Terra turned slightly to face his comrades, Vanitas began to laugh uncontrollably when he saw the vacant helmet and Terra's hemorrhaging muzzle.

"She totally fucked up your helmet!" he laughed even harder. "Damn! She got you good!"

Aqua continued to squirm as the knight holding her proceeded to grab each of her wrists individually again.

"What do we do with this one?" Saïx asked and placed a heavy, booted foot over Riku's skull.

"Wait!" Aqua pleaded and gazed back up at Terra. "Please! Please, don't hurt him!"

Terra raised a dark brown eyebrow at her plea.

"Why not? It would be easy," he stated as he glanced down at Riku's vulnerable form. "Saïx could easily bust his head _wide_ open. All he has to do is add a little bit of pressure and **_POP_**!" Terra shook the girl by her wrists for emphasis.

The Dark Knight whipped Aqua around in front of him and forced her to watch Saïx. Pressing her partially bare back to his chrome chest and wrapping his powerful arms around her, he chained her creamy, imprisoned wrists to her quivering stomach. The Light Keyblade wielder helplessly shivered from the contact. Her skin was still unnaturally cold from all the Blizzard use and it made his normal body temperature felt like an inferno.

The tremor that ran though her body didn't go unnoticed by the Dark knight. Terra smirked and compressed himself even further into her back. Tightening their bizarre embrace, he applied pressure to her stomach and pulled her painfully close to him.

Aqua tensed, the contact was too much. She felt like she would either pass out or get sick if she didn't create some space between them.

"Then you could watch his skull splinter and witness his brains ooze out of his fractured head; onto and _all_ in between these lovely cobblestones," he purred into her hair covered ear before he gripped her wrists even tighter, placing his temple against her azure head. His touch was way too close to being provocative.

Aqua could feel his steaming breath in her ear as he spoke and she repressed another involuntary shiver.

His heat was smothering her, it was thick and overbearing just like the man it radiated off of. Her chest retched as she felt his face pressing against her soft hair. Terra's warm cheek brushed lightly against hers and she jerked away from the unwanted caress.

"Just like you wanted to do to me!" he roared in her ear before he barbarically kicked the busted helmet he was referring into the wall. Aqua jumped out of her skin as she tilted her head even farther away from him and his fierce voice.

"Go ahead, Saïx," Terra instructed dismissively and Sax raised his foot, preparing to bust Riku's head in.

"No! No! Please! Don't!" Aqua cried despairingly.

She felt the bitter caress of the ebony armor retreat from her back before she was coarsely spun around to face Terra again. Their faces were inches apart and his hot breath was slithering across her lips.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't," he said darkly as his victim gazed up at him with pleading blue eyes. "Give me one good reason why I should not allow Saïx to bust his worthless head open and let Vanitas stomp his skull into unrecognizable bits."

She wanted to spit in his deceivingly handsome face, but she couldn't. She couldn't risk angering him further. She could not let them kill Riku because of her, because he was helping her, because of _her_ act of defiance.

Terra wanted a ' _good reason.'_ What would a beast like Terra even consider a good reason?

Aqua glanced up and began to analyze him. She did not know much about him at all. How could she bargain with him if she did not know what would sate him?

Her mind raced as her eyes darted over every contour and feature of his face.

Earlier she had heard Terra offer Riku a choice. He had wanted Riku to comply. Terra had wanted submission. The monstrous man had wanted to dominate and he had wanted… _her_. She would have to give him what he wanted if she wanted to save Riku.

"I will cooperate," Aqua surrendered. "I will go with you."

"You won't fight me?" the enraged knight asked with an artificial gentleness.

"No," she answered as she genuinely locked eyes with him for the first time and Terra could see anger, rage, and hatred swirling in the memorizing blue abyss of her eyes.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," he sarcastically questioned before he violently and swiftly dug the ridges of his gauntlets even further into her already existing wounds.

"I won't fight you!" the injured young woman screamed. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the knight's feet as blood began to stream down her arms to her elbows.

_Light! Please, make him let go!_ her mind screeched.

Terra continued to hold the girl by her bleeding wrists while he stared blankly over her head.

"You will obey me?" he asked.

"Yes," she whimpered and closed her eyes.

"You won't cause any trouble?" he could feel her blood seeping into the cracks of his gauntlets.

"No," she said softly so only he could hear her.

"You won't use magic or your Keyblade?" her blood soaked into his gloves and the warmth of her blood began stroking his bare, tan fingers and palms.

"No."

At this point, Aqua was willing to go along with _anything_ to make the horrific pain cease and to protect Riku from a brutal demise.

"You will do what I tell you, _when_ I tell you." It was a command, not a question.

"Yes," Aqua answered even though she wasn't sure if he was asking her or telling her. She did not care as long as it satisfied him and the nightmarish tortured ended.

"You-You won't hurt him?" she stammered as her gentle eyes barely reopened.

"Not if you keep your word," he answered and stared down at the wounded girl on her knees before him.

"I will," she pleaded before she weakly glanced up at him.

"Then I suppose I won't kill him," he said and snare around her wrists was finally removed.

A muffled gasp escaped her mouth as euphoric relief washed over her.

Cerulean eyes timidly traveled to her damaged wrists. Gruesome scarlet bracelets now marred her flawless skin. Absent-mindedly, she began tracing her fingertips along the huge, sporadic, jagged, and vulgar gashes on her joints. She wanted to heal herself. She desperately wanted to cast Cure on her aching wrists but she just made a verbal contract with the embodiment of Darkness that she would not use magic.

"Damn," Vanitas cursed. "I wanted to do more than just knock him out."

"Later," Terra said as he walked around the dazed maiden and began wiping the excess blood off his savage hands on his hips.

"I am sure we can get a death sentence on him later for helping Blue," he continued and inclined his head in Aqua's direction, "but for now, he lives."

Vanitas scoffed. "Why? Because you told the whore of Light that you wouldn't hurt him?"

"Yes," Terra said sincerely.

The knight was a man of his word. He was guilty of many unspeakable acts, but he would not go back on his word. However, the same could not be said for Vanitas.

"Who gives a fuck?" Vanitas bellowed as he violently punched the white, building wall next to him. "She agreed to cooperate! Who cares if we kill him? You said that _you_ wouldn't hurt him. You never said that _we_ wouldn't!"

"She did not want any of us to hurt him. By me, she meant all of us," Terra said calmly.

The bronze warrior's temper had diminished substantially once he had conquered Aqua.

"Details," the vermillion knight challenged. His unnatural blood lust could not be fulfilled. He had tasted Riku's blood and now he craved more. Vanitas wanted to rip him apart and play with his gory entrails.

"I said, he lives," Terra repeated sternly before he knelt down to grab Aqua's elbow.

The girl instinctively jerked and pulled away from him. She did not necessarily mean to but she could not stop her reaction to his brutally familiar touch. The azure woman winced and timidly glanced back at the man she just knew was about to do something unspeakable to her for already breaking their spoken agreement.

"Don't fuck with me," he warned as his expression threatened to harden once more.

The cobalt-eyed girl simply stared at him blankly over her shoulder before shakily placing one of her long strands of blue hair behind her ear.

"Are you done?" he asked and reached out for her once more.

The second time, she simply scrunched her face and braced herself for his repulsive touch as his large hand snaked around the curve of her elbow.

"Let's go, Blue," Terra said as he lifted Aqua to her shaky feet.

The knight began guiding his newly acquired captive back out of the city by her elbow.

"You're just going to leave him like that?" Aqua yelled and peered back at Riku.

"I can go back and fuck him up some more if you want," Vanitas offered, getting much too close to her.

Instinctively the blue-haired girl tried to shield herself with the closest object possible, which happened to be Terra. Aqua halfway hid herself behind Terra's large frame before he jeered at her and harshly yanked her back out in front of him. He refused to offer her any form of comfort.

"He may need medical help. He probably needs to be healed." The young woman continued to gaze back at Riku as she slightly pulled against Terra's grip on her arm.

"Probably." Terra shrugged. "But we aren't waiting around to find out."

"We just knocked him out. I think he will survive," Saïx mocked her concern as he passed them and began making his way out of the narrow passageway.

"Can't you heal him before we go?" she asked Terra before she stopped walking and gently tugged at the elbow he was holding.

Aqua had seen him show some form of _compassion_ towards her when Vanitas had threatened to kill Riku. She had heard him order Vanitas to spare Riku when he did not have to. She knew it was a shot in the dark, but she wanted to make sure Riku was okay.

The Dark Knight exhaled sharply and held his head down in annoyance. "If I do, will you shut up?"

Aqua nodded.

Terra released her cool arm and sighed heavily.

_She better be worth all this aggravation,_ he thought bitterly.

Terra walked over to Riku and knelt down beside him. He held out his bloodstained hand over the lifeless Keyblade Master and his hand became smothered by blinding cascades of green and yellow. The vibrant colors dripped off his hand and onto Riku's body where they began to devour his skin. White lights glided over his body and intricately seeped into the injured areas of his body.

Honestly, Aqua was not even sure Dark Knights were capable of casting white magic. She had expected Terra to use a Potion of some kind. Cure was a form of white magic and she never dreamed a person like Terra could _ever_ conjure anything that could actually _help_ someone. He was a killing machine, wired to destroy. His hands could never bring anything but ruination…or so she thought…

When the white magic dispersed, Riku's hand twitched and he groaned lightly.

"Happy now?" Terra groused as he placed his hands on his knees and got to his feet.

Aqua was far from happy, but she was glad Riku obtained some form of treatment. However, she doubted he would wake anytime soon. She would be long gone by the time Riku came to…

"Can we go now?" the twisted knight coated in red streaked armor complained from further down the alleyway.

The bronze and gold Keyblade Master did not answer, he only reestablished his hold on Aqua's arm. She cringed when he wrapped his hand around the curve of her elbow, but she was relieved he was sparing her damaged wrists.

On their way out of Amur, Aqua took her time examining the beautiful town that would forever haunt her with deplorable memories. She was sure this would be the last village she saw before they put her away forever.

_Or shut my eyes forever..._

Once they reached the forest, Terra and Vanitas summoned their Keyblades and tossed them to the lush, leaf-covered ground.

An azure brow rose at the bizarre action before the discarded Keyblades transformed into Keyblade Gliders. Her eyes widened. She had heard of such things being possible for skilled Keyblade Masters, but she had never actually witnessed it.

Disappointment and envy washed over her as she realized how limited she and the other Light Keyblade wielders were. Aqua knew she was skilled, but she also knew she had not reached her true potential, far from it. She could only cast Blizzard and Cure spells and she only knew basic Keyblade techniques. Light Keyblade wielders were only allowed to learn the basics. They could never become true Masters and obtain the Mark of Mastery like Terra and Vanitas had…

Sora and Kairi were skilled Light Keyblade wielders and that was also one of the reasons they were both imprisoned. They had become too strong.

Saïx threw his spiked Claymore to the ground and it too turned into a form of a glider. It was not a Keyblade Glider nor was it as elaborate. Saïx's glider looked more like a lunar surfboard than an actual glider.

Terra released Aqua's porcelain arm and began scratching the back of his neck as he stared at his glider.

Terra was trying to figure out the best way for Blue to ride on his glider. He had not anticipated bringing back a conscious victim.

If she rode in front of him, he would have more control over her, but she was not dressed for riding on front of a speeding glider. Navy eyes glanced back at the azure girl's attire.

The sapphire maiden with distant eyes wore a simple navy blue high collared halter-top. The garment was tight and sleeveless, leaving the entire length of her arms and even her shoulders exposed.

His rich blue eyes traveled lower. Her lower body was clad in tight black shorts and even tighter stockings. The black fabric covered most of her legs and left only a small fragment of her flesh exposed. Finally, over her right hip she wore a long blue sash that had strips of white ruffles that occasionally ran horizontally across the garment tied around her hips. The half-skirt or sash was like the embodiment of water itself. It almost shimmered even though he saw no indication of any stones or jewels imbedded in its rolling fabric.

If she rode behind him, he would not be able to watch her. He would have to trust her to keep her word and he was not sure if he could do that.

Without warning, Terra roughly swept the unsuspecting girl into his arms bridal style.

Aqua yelped and squirmed against his undesirable envelopment. Just as he was about to sling her onto the front of his glider, he hesitated.

The knight felt the natural chill of her skin through his armor. Royal blue eyes gazed down at her writhing, milky legs that draped over his ebony arm then back up to the downcast features of her guiltless face.

He could not keep himself from thinking that she looked fragile…

He couldn't do it. He could not let her get ripped apart by violent wind she would surely collide with on the front of his glider.

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath as he placed his captive back on her feet.

Aqua was astonished and not sure how to react to the odd actions of the knight so she simply stood in shock and awaited his instruction. She did not want his anger directed at her again.

"Um," she started as she straightened her disheveled skirt.

The frustrated Keyblade Master stomped to his glider and slung his massive muscular leg over it. He secured his position and shifted himself further up his glider, giving the young woman space to climb onto the back of it.

The knight inclined his head, motioning to the empty space behind him.

"Get on," he commanded vacantly.

Aqua scowled.

If she mounted the glider, she would have to hold onto Terra. The sapphire girl wanted nothing more to do with him and she _definitely_ did not want to touch him in any way. She brought her long, blue tresses over her dainty shoulder and began to fidget with her hair as she tried to avoid the inevitable.

"Get on before I change my mind," he heeded as he crossed his arms over his sturdy chest.

Azure eyes fell in defeat as she surrendered and made her way to the glider. Trembling hands shifted her long sash as she straddled the unusual ride.

The last thing she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Terra and her mind raced as she frantically tried to think of an alternative. The bottom of his dark cape coiled in her lap so she brought her hands to the top of his wide shoulders and grabbed fistfuls of his dusky cape.

Terra almost laughed when he felt her hands grab his cape. She did not want to hold onto him physically.

_Can't say that I blame her._

The glider began to hiss as Terra leaned forward and prepared to take off. Aqua tensed and lightly rested against his shady back as she held onto his cape tightly, desperately fighting the urge to embrace his waist for support and security.

Loud whistling sounds invaded her ears as the glider underneath her went vertical and shot into the air.

"You two go ahead! I will catch up!" Terra shouted over the loud noises of gliders and the blaring wind.

He would not be able to fly as high or as fast with Blue clinging to him. On top of that, the knight had _lost_ his own helmet so he would not be able to handle the winds painful licks like he would were he wearing his helmet.

Ominous hands clutched his handlebars much tighter than necessary as he remembered _why_ his helmet was gone. The Darkness within him boiled and bubbled over as his temper flared once more as he recalled the girl latching to his cape kicking his helmet in, her icy breath stinging his skin. His strong jaw clenched at the fresh memory.

Aqua felt the muscles within the menacing armor tense but she could not stop using his frame as a shield from the snaring wind. She tucked her head down, squeezed her eyes shut and placed her forehead on his blackened cape.

_Pretend he is someone else. Pretend he is someone else,_ she chanted inside her head like mantra.

Aqua thought of Ventus; his kind blue eyes, his soft blonde hair, and his warm gentle smile.

She melded against the cape as she thought of him and the comfort he always brought her but as she nestled into the cloth, the smell of earth, moist clay and several other faint fragrances she couldn't recognize underneath the stench of sweat invaded her senses. Ven did not smell like dampened soil and sweat…

Terra felt the girl behind him nestle her face in between his shoulder blades and his recently reignited anger began to reluctantly fade. The knight discreetly glanced over his shoulder at her.

Curious eyes traveled up her long, toned leg to her face.

His cape was held tightly in her ivory hands. Her knuckles white from the intense grip she had on the black fabric. Thick, dark lashes brushed her pure, rosy cheeks while her regal nose slightly scrunched as she pressed her baby blue eyes closed.

This was not the girl who attacked him with floods of ice in Amur.

Aqua squeezed her eyes even tighter and tried again to think of her old friend and ignore Terra's strong scent.

_Caring blue eyes, golden blonde hair, fair skin, compassionate grins, affectionate hands that offer solace, reassuring thoughtful words of encouragement…_

_Deep, blue eyes. Dark, brown hair. Tan, earthen skin. Deadly, handsome smirks. Murderous, gauntleted hands. Scorching, thick breath. Melodious threats rippling off his scalding tongue._

The young woman tried her best. She really did but she could not completely remove Terra from her thoughts. Even now he violated her, tormenting her mind and invading her conscious. He was too close to her. His presence was too strong. His glaring aura exploded off his skin and threatened to completely engulf hers and she knew that before they could reach their destination, it probably would.

* * *

The glider descended to the ground and Aqua's eyes shot open.

They had landed on what appeared to be some kind of reactor. Steaming chrome pipes surrounded her, pipes that were attached to smoky stonewalls and spat toxic steam into the unsuspecting sky.

Terra stood upright and waited for her to dismount.

"Get off," he ordered coldly without offering her a glance.

Slowly, she lifted her leg and whipped them around in front of her and she removed herself from the Keyblade Glider.

Once she dismounted, she scanned the area but she did not recognize the layout. Aqua had been many places in her eighteen years but his place was not familiar to her.

Large, gray castle walls surrounded her and the bizarre metal platform she stood on. She glanced down at the blue encasement outlined with supportive metal bars below her. An endless light blue pit was beneath the clear glass beneath her feet and more golden bars lined the pit and plunged down into the abyss.

Terra called his giant Keyblade back to his hand and he began to rub his weary eyes with his fingertips.

_He looks…tired._

Aqua wanted to ask him where they were but she was refusing to speak to him so she decided to inspect the area more instead.

Guards and Dark Knights were _everywhere_. They lined the metal walls inside the colossal stone castle like structure and sat on the unusual cyan railings that traced the platform.

Instinctively, her feet instinctively backed away from them and she accidentally bumped into Terra. Before she could get away, he gripped her shoulders from behind.

Hands covered in her blood burned her skin and foreign fingertips licked at her exposed collarbone. The Dark Knight leaned forward and pressed his blistering lips to her ear.

"Welcome to the Dark Capital."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Ok time for some friendly reminders. I want to remind you that this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. In Birth by Sleep Aqua probably could have taken Terra and avoided getting captured, but in this universe Aqua has not received the same kind of training as she did in BBS and Terra is a bit more INTENSE to say the least. In this universe, unless you are a Dark Keyblade wielder you cannot become a Master or become skilled. Remember the people of Light are oppressed. The Dark Rule does not want them to ever rise up against them again so Light Keyblade Masters cannot be running around everywhere. That is why I try to make distinct differences between Keyblade MASTERS and WIELDERS. In this universe, there is a big difference. Also, if Terra seems a bit bipolar...its because he is. Especially when it comes to Aqua but all of that will be addressed in more detail later so just be patient with me. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	4. City of Devils

Why did they bring her to Hollow Bastion? Wasn't she going to some unknown prison like Kairi? Aqua was in the belly of the beast and she was absolutely terrified.

She yanked her shoulders free from Terra's grip and backed away from him only to ram into Vanitas who simply shoved her back toward Terra.

Frantic, Aqua twirled around and backed away from both of them.

"Surprised?" Saïx asked in his usual deadpan tone. "Where did you think we were taking you?"

"I didn't think you would bring me to Hollow Bastion," she admitted as she glared at the men she was being forced to cooperate with.

"The Overlords want to see you," Vanitas barked and took hold of Aqua's recently mutilated wrist, "so _let's go_."

"Not my wrist!" Aqua screamed and pushed at his hand in a vein attempt to free her bloody joint.

Vanitas did not listen. He continued to pull on her shredded wrist, ruthlessly pulling the mangled flesh off the muscles underneath.

"I'll follow you! I already said I would go with you! Just let go of my wrist!" she pleaded desperately and tried her best to regain control of her arm.

Aqua could not stand the pain. She could swear she was feeling his claw like fingers grazing against the tender bone of her wrist.

Tears began to prickle at the back of her eyes but she would not cry. Not now. They would not see her cry. She would not give them the satisfaction.

"Vanitas. Stop," Terra commanded flatly while rubbing his temples in exasperation, "She said she would go. We made a deal. Just watch her"

He was tired of the senseless violence. It was true that he was the one who harmed her in the first place but that was different. He was breaking her. Now that he got what he wanted and she was being compliant, the violence was unnecessary.

The captured girl heard the Captain of the Dark Knight's command and in the short time she had spent with the brutes she had learned that what Terra said went, so she took the opportunity to rip her arm away from Vanitas. Terra had basically given her permission to do so anyway and that was good enough for her.

The only reason she was being obedient was to avoid this kind of treatment. She was not stupid. She knew the knights would get their way regardless and that she had two options. Aqua could fight them and receive treatment similar to if not worse than the kind she received in Amur…or she could be cooperative like Terra had demanded and avoid the horrible conduct.

Dealing with the Dark Knight's was unavoidable at this point but she had to admit that dealing with the more docile Terra was much better than the enraged one. The knight was _never_ pleasant but she had to choose the lesser of the two evils.

"Bitch," Vanitas hisses as she spitefully pulled her arm away from him and he seriously considered striking her across her disgustingly pretty face.

As Aqua examined her reopened wounds, she felt a vaguely familiar hand graze against the small of her back.

"Move," the head knight glowered and pushed at her bare skin. She noted his touch was almost gentle despite his harsh tone…

"Where? Like I know where we are going." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She was pushing it she knew that but she was suddenly feeling bold. Whether it was a result of successfully defying Vanitas or the tenderness of Terra's touch, she didn't know.

"You are going wherever I tell you you're going," countered Terra as he loomed over her. His smoldering eyes were boring through her and he was so close to her, their hair was mingling together. Just like that, her slight boost in confidence was shattered.

"Fine. After you," Aqua spat and tried her best to soften her spiteful tone.

Terra proceeded to completely ignore her statement. "Go ahead, Saïx. She will follow you and Vanitas and I will flank her in case she gets any ideas."

"I would like to remind you that ' _getting ideas'_ has gotten _a lot_ of people publicly executed," Vanitas threatened and Aqua nodded without looking at him.

Terra's hand flattened against the skin between her shoulder blades and nudged her forward as Saïx began exiting the reactor site.

Aqua was led up stone steps to a lengthy aqueduct lined by castle like walls and rectangular hedges on each side of the channel. As she walked, her bright cobalt eyes noticed the large moss like foliage that hung from the circular citadel like establishment they were approaching. A beautiful fountain with multiple streams spurting from its invisible belly magically jutted from the building's top. Because it was twilight, the water gushing from the fountain held a gorgeous tawny and orange hue.

_It's beautiful,_ she mused in absolute astonishment.

Aqua had never expected the capital of the Dark Realm to be so…pretty.

Timidly, she glanced back at Terra who was staring off blankly to his right. She never expected Hollow Bastion to be pretty, just like she had never expected Terra to have a face. _Everything_ about the Dark Realm was misleading.

After reaching the end of the aqueduct, they were met by even more coppery, rusted metal and bizarre machinery that pumped life into the massive city's pipe like veins, veins that ran through every part of the Dark Capital.

Saïx led Aqua down a descending and spiraling concrete angular pathway that was covered in white, faint lavender like stones. Darker protruding triangular stones containing shades of navy often marred the smooth surface of the otherwise flawless pathways. Golden pipes lined the pathways and prevented travelers from the journeying into the dark, endless abyss that lied below the golden railings.

Eventually, the pathway fanned out and became a circular area. Beyond it was a blackened entrance that took them to the Fountain Court. Flora-covered lavender walls encased the square fountains that filled the area. Streams erupted from the ground in front of the gushing and overlapping cubed fountains that were embedded in a shallow lily pad covered pool. Water was overflowing and rippling down the pink and purple sides of the towering square fountains.

The cobblestone they now walked on was much more colorful than that of the harsh pathways within the aqueduct. Armor clinked and rattled as the men walked over the tiny bridge that held its visitors over the shallow water of the concrete pond.

Finally, after walking through the colorful, fountain filled capital for what seemed like an eternity, they reached capital's town. Before they reached the heart of the township, Aqua heard Terra groan behind her.

"What?" Vanitas questioned cynically.

"I'm not wearing my helmet," Terra said simply.

Aqua raised a blue eyebrow. She did not get what the big deal was. In her opinion, it was an improvement.

Saïx almost chuckled but the noise that came from his mouth was more like a snort. "This will be interesting."

_Yeah, for everyone else,_ Terra huffed inwardly.

Dark Knights were not supposed to show face in public unless given permission or if they were off duty. Terra was not off duty nor had he been given permission to remove his helmet. As some form of celebrity within the Dark Capital, going out in public could be trying enough even with his helmet on. Dark Knights were recognized throughout Hollow Bastion _with_ their armor on.

Terra was going to loathe this.

"Alright, Blue," said Terra before he grabbed Aqua's shoulders, coarsely spinning her around and forcing her to face him. "We are about to enter the center of town and there will be _a lot_ of citizens around. I recommend you not make a spectacle of yourself. I would rather not violate you in public, but I will if I have to."

He couldn't help but notice she was not looking directly at him. Her eyes were distant and unfocused. Her cobalt orbs would gaze in his direction, but they never made contact with or focus on any part of him. It annoyed him, almost to the point of confronting it but he was getting use to it. He acknowledged that it was just her way of tolerating them and he would have to accept it.

"Want to keep up appearances?" she questioned his supremacy and his eyes widened before narrowing into dangerous slits.

"It is recommended but not necessary. Unlike you and yours, the people here actually understand the way things work," Terra replied with confidence.

"Oh, I understand how things work. I just don't accept it," Aqua challenged again.

"Well, the people here _do._ Maybe you can try to learn a thing or two about respect from them while we are here," he argued as he resisted the urge to reopen the wounds on her wrists yet again.

"Sure," she responded with false kindness and crossed her arms, "but do I have to grovel and worship you on our way through too?"

"It wouldn't hurt," he hissed with massive amounts of scorn.

Aqua smirked at him with equal amounts of scorn. The tension between them was unbearable as they stared each other down as one waited stubbornly for the other to waiver or back down.

During their argument, Saïx and Vanitas had left them and made their way into the Center Square. Apparently, they had grown bored with the standoff and taken it upon themselves to trudge further into town.

Realizing they had been left behind, Terra sighed heavily. He shoved Aqua out in front of him before they began their trek into the center of the capital, attempting to catch up with the other Dark Knights.

Aqua instantly wanted to hide behind the man she had just been clashing with. Citizens of Hollow Bastion were everywhere and they were all staring at them. The residents filled the garden like square that was surrounded by cottage like homes and establishments. It was shockingly quant. Tree like shrubs and vibrant flowerbeds filled the area while beautiful swirling designs covered the center of the square's elaborate street.

This part of the capital looked like a home, like a place normal people would inhabit and carry out their daily lives.

_The Overlords must want their citizens happy. Keep up the illusion, I guess,_ Aqua scoffed to herself.

Subconsciously, she walked close to Terra's side as people whispered and pointed at her, the girl who walked with their hero. Girls of all ages swooned and giggled as the armored knight passed them.

Aqua rolled her cerulean eyes.

_Of course they drool over the monster._

To her surprise, Terra did not look impressed. If she did not know any better, she would think he almost appeared…embarrassed or ashamed.

Terra desperately fought the urge to cover his face. Normally, he would gladly receive any and all attention from the opposite sex, but he was not supposed to be exposed like this.

The women fawning over him were taken aback by the fact they could see his face while his body was still adorned in ebony armor. This was a rarity. Not to mention forbidden.

They had likely seen his face before but only when he was in his casual attire, not when he was on duty as a Dark Knight. It was dishonorable and degrading to his status to show his features like this, but if he had to show face, it was best that it was at his home and not in some other city where the impression of immortality and unearthly power would be much more important.

Aqua could hear everyone's comments, questions, and condemnations. They wanted to know why she was there, why she was with Terra, why she had blue hair, and if was she a Child of Light. The residents called her unnatural, an abomination, a traitor, a heathen, a peasant, and many other deplorable names. These people clearly supported the Dark Rule with unmatched fervor.

She wanted her cloak back so she could hide.

Aqua and Terra finally caught up with Vanitas and Saïx as they left the square and entered a vast area of luxurious gardens filled with many diverse arrangements of flowers, trees, and shrubs.

"You're lucky she is funny looking," Vanitas said as they began ascending one of the large stone stairways within the gardens. "Most of the townspeople were too distracted by her to notice that your helmet was gone."

_I'm not…funny looking…_ Aqua thought. She suddenly felt self-conscious and couldn't keep herself looked down and examining herself.

"The women certainly noticed," Saïx teased before nudging Terra with one of his armored shoulders. "Isn't that right, pretty boy?"

Vanitas and Saïx chuckled while Terra punched Saïx in the same shoulder that had nudged him.

_They are like…brothers…_ Aqua couldn't help but notice.

Thinking about brothers made her think of her family and thinking about her family hurt, so she repressed it.

_I can't think about that. Not yet. It is too much._

After traveling up another large set of stairs, the small group reached a large gateway and Aqua hesitated.

She was getting closer and closer to the Overlords and she did not want to know what they wanted with her. She wanted nothing to do with them ever again. Her interaction with Lord Xehanort was enough to last her a lifetime.

"Come on," Vanitas called back to her impatiently when he noticed her hesitation and decreased pace.

The top of the gateway contained a carving of the Unversed Crest while tapestries of the Heartless Insignia and the Nobody Emblem hung on each side of the colossal gateway that marked the entrance to the massive citadel.

Once they passed through another gateway identical to the first, everything changed. The shades of gray, silver, and navy vanished and were cruelly replaced with harsh shades of red, orange, rust, and gold.

"Could there be any more stairs?" she huffed under her breath as they climbed yet another large stairway.

Outside the massive doors stood two guards that acknowledged the knights and opened the door for them. Unsure of what she should do with herself, Aqua relied on instinct and began backing away from the castle's mouth as if it were a ravenous monster that was trying to swallow her whole.

"Welcome to The Tarnen Palace," Saïx said indifferently as he brushed past her and fearlessly entered the elaborate castle that doubled as his home.

With curious eyes, Aqua glanced at Terra. "Tarnen?"

"It means to conceal," he answered without looking at her and placed a hand on her back, encouraging her to enter the oversized building.

Upon entering the palace, she noticed that there was so much red everywhere. It coated the floors while burgundy lined the walls. _Everything_ was touched by crimson.

The enormous doors of the palace shut harshly behind her and she jumped involuntarily. The monster just swallowed her. Its razor-edged teeth had shut and it was now working her down its throat and into its acidic belly…

"Think you can handle her from here?" Saïx questioned, giving Terra a quick glance.

"Yeah. It should be fine now that she is in the palace," Terra answered with a nod.

"Have fun you two," Vanitas said with extreme sarcasm as he disappeared down one of the blackened hallways like a specter.

As the knights spoke, Aqua was slowly drinking in her surroundings. Ebony and burgundy licked the towering walls that were coated in expensive paintings and more tapestries of the emblems, crests, and insignias of the Dark Realm. It was lovely and extravagant but somehow eerie at the same time. It was too pristine. It was too red, too dark, and too lavish.

The snapping of fingers brought her out of her musings. Her eyes left the features of the palace to see Terra impatiently snapping his fingers and motioning for Aqua to accompany him.

With reluctant feet, she followed him down the bloodstained hallways, further into the belly of the beast, further into enemy territory.

The long halls with high, blackened ceilings were surprisingly empty. Every now and then the Aqua would see a servant or a maid, but she mostly encountered large vases, bizarre sculptures, and ornate, floral arrangements.

After a short eternity, they reached a pair of the largest dual doors she had ever seen.

**_They_ ** _are in there._

" _Welcome back,"_ an unfamiliar, velvety voice graced her ears.

"Marluxia," Terra greeted simply and indifferently, crossing his arms in obvious annoyance.

The male Terra called Marluxia wore a regal, ebony, and ragged tuxedo. The tattered, black jacket was casually unbuttoned and his sleeves were rolled up to his thick elbows. Studded, fingerless, leather gloves adorned his large hands and a large pink neckerchief that traveled down the front of the opened jacked was secured tightly around his neck.

"Is this her?" Marluxia asked elegantly as he faced Aqua.

"That's her," the knight answered harshly, "but you already knew that, didn't you."

Terra's rich, dark blue eyes glared at the seer but Marluxia merely snickered.

Marluxia knew good and _damn_ well that was her. He just wanted to fuck with her. Blue did not know he was a Seer Sage and he was playing dumb.

"You should watch your tongue," the Seer Sage cautioned. "Greetings, my dear," he quickly recovered, welcoming her as if he didn't just threaten Terra, giving her his best artificial smile.

Cerulean eyes fell uncomfortably to the maroon floor as she halfway smiled at the elegant and poised man speaking to her.

"Should I bring her in?" Terra asked the male seer.

"Yes. We have been expecting you," the man clad in a black jacket smirked as he pushed open the gargantuan doors.

The Dark Knight grabbed Aqua's milky arm and guided her through the door behind Marluxia.

The trio made their way down the Grand Hall and the young woman's heart felt as thought it would beat right out of her chest. This was The Dark Overlord's throne room.

The unholy trinity sat at the head of the room in three gigantic, charcoal thrones with bright red cushions and she could feel their wicked orange eyes on her.

Darkness engulfed the entire room and she could feel the corruption hanging thick in the atmosphere. The gloom was so profuse her eyes could almost see the manifestation of Darkness inside the diabolical room. The blackness' hot, putrid breath inside the room was causing her vision to blur. Three high elders turned to six then nine, and finally one then back to three.

Faint surges of Darkness floated through the air and lovingly stroked the bodies of those at the front of the Grand Hall. The blackness oozed down the walls, slithered across the floor like infernal serpents, and suspended in the air like inky pollution.

Aqua blinked her eyes rapidly to clear the fraudulent mirage before her. She knew she was the only one able to see the harrowing illusion.

_I am going crazy..._

The people in this room condemned her. She could hear the vicious curses of the Darkness itself. It wished to destroy her and the Light the she possessed. It wanted to devastate her and bring ruin to all that she stood for. It lusted for her contamination. It desired to permanently snuff out her Light and replace it with murky oceans of shadows. The radiant maiden was a revolting, blasphemous disease within the sanctity of the sinister room.

Once they reached the dais that contained the three high elders, Lord Xehanort politely stood from the highest throne to address his visitors and Marluxia took his stance next to Larxene and Zexion.

All three of the Seer Sages were there and Terra suppressed a cringe. If all three of them were there, then they must have thought that this matter was of great importance.

_That or they were here for other matters and simply stayed out of curiosity,_ he mused and he hoped his thoughts weren't loud enough for Marluxia to hear.

"Welcome, Aqua," Xehanort said gruffly as he lurked down the crimson steps of the dais toward her.

That was the young woman's cue to bow, but her knees did not give. She did not answer the bald man and she did not kneel. It was a deliberate act of defiance. She didn't bow or address him, because she had no intention to.

Terra knew she was not going bow willingly so he roughly grabbed her shoulders and forced her to her knees before the Dark Overlords.

The cerulean maiden whimpered under the weight and struggled against the ebony warriors unwavering hold, trying her best to break free or stand; she was no longer sure which.

Xehanort continued descending the large crimson steps leading to the thrones until he stood directly in front of Aqua.

A gloved hand briskly gripped her chin and yanked her face up.

"Do you know why you are here, girl?" the elderly man with disturbing yellow-orange eyes asked as he squeezed her jaw to the point that she thought his prickly glove would chafe the flesh of her face.

"Kind of," she spat and continued to squirm against the men holding her.

"We have seen you. We saw you leave your home in search of your sister. We have seen what will be. We have seen what you will do and what you _could_ do. _That_ is why you are here," he answered for her while Aqua's chin jerked and thrashed within his clutches.

"You are to be rehabilitated here. You will live here and learn to abide by our rules. The Elders, the Seer Sages, and even we High Elders will teach you our ways and how to properly conduct yourself. Your rehabilitation will last but a year. After that, we will decide if you are capable of being released back into the world or if you must be handled in another manner such as imprisonment or execution," he explained before he finally released the thrashing young woman's chin.

It was standard rehabilitation procedure. Terra had witnessed them countless times, but he had only seen about two _successful_ rehabilitations. The rest had ended with some form of punishment, execution or imprisonment. They never ended well. Were it up to him, he would dub the method obsolete and fruitless.

"This is your last shot at redemption," Lord Xemnas heeded and casually began brushing off his shoulders as if he were already bored.

"This is a major kindness on our part," Ansem stated from his throne, his tawny eyes gleaming with disdain.

"We could have simply killed you or put you away, but we have decided to offer you a second chance. Do not forget that. Should you become more trouble than you are worth, you _will_ be disposed of," Xehanort warned indifferently and placed his poisonous hands behind his back. "Understand?"

Aqua did not answer for a long moment. She simply glared at the three men she hated more than she had ever hated anyone with bitterly cold eyes.

"I understand," she hissed and Terra's hands left her shoulders. She did not stand though. She would stand when and if she wanted to. Not because they were _allowing_ her to. Aqua would take whatever small victories she could, however trivial and minute they might seem. She had to keep some of her dignity, some of her pride.

"Roxas!" Xemnas shouted and a young Dark Knight swiftly entered the ominous Grand Hall. He was adorned in teal armor, lots of blues, greens, and even some red. She couldn't help but notice his armor wasn't ever dark at all.

"Sire?" Roxas answered as he humbly fell to his knees before his sovereign.

"Escort Aqua outside. We must speak with Terra alone," Lord Xemnas ordered and placed a fist under his strong jaw.

"Yes, my lord," Roxas replied before approaching the blue-haired girl in question.

"Come on Miss," he whispered, his voice low and compassionate. He spoke to her kindly, as if she were a human being. His gentle voice was the first true kindness she had heard since she had been separated from Riku. It seemed trite and it was confusing, but his voice did her heart good and gave her the courage she needed to stand.

Aqua looked at Roxas with bewildered eyes for a moment longer before she glanced back at Terra to make sure he would not force her back to her knees if she tried to stand.

His face was blank and unreadable and his eyes were distant. He looked inactive and almost passive. His posture and his eyes were not aggressive. There was no warning that she could see, so she decided to stand.

To her complete shock, Roxas took her hand and helped her to her feet before he simply led Aqua out of the hall. He did not yell at her nor did he manhandle her. Again, while seemingly insignificant, his kindness allowed her to lick her wounds, to regain her pride. It helped to find kindness within the hatred, abuse, and cruelty.

"You can sit out here," he offered after they exited the Grand Hall and entered the foyer outside.

Roxas pointed to a vermillion bench that rested against one of the walls within the lengthy hallway. Silently, the Keyblade wielder nodded and took her seat upon the pew.

"Aqua, right?" Roxas asked and offered a smile once he removed his helmet.

He was blonde with lovely ultramarine eyes and he instantly reminded her a bit of Ventus. Their features were not quite the same but there were similarities in their appearance. Their hair and eyes were almost the same and the more she was around him, the more their mannerisms seemed to match. Perhaps she was imagining it because of her desperation to find a friendly, familiar face after all she had been through. Perhaps she just wanted to see Ventus so much she was projecting him onto this boy who only had blonde hair and blue eyes almost like his…

When she finally ripped her eyes away from his face, she noticed his armor was a great deal like Terra's. However his armor was pale blue and even paler green with a few red streaks across his legs and torso.

"Mm hmm," she answered as she regained her ability to smile.

"I'm Roxas. It is nice to meet you," he said as he offered his hand to her.

Aqua grinned and eagerly accepted his handshake.

"You're a Dark Knight?" she questioned as she began running her fingers through her long, straight hair. As her fingers combed through her tresses, she realized it was full of grime, blood, and filth. She was glad she hadn't stumbled upon a mirror. She probably didn't want to see what she looked like…

"Uh, yeah. Why?" he was a bit confused by the question.

"You just aren't like the other knights…"

"They aren't that bad once you get to know them. They are just doing their job, you know?" Roxas responded and gently sat next to her as if not to startle her.

"I guess so." Aqua murmured as she stared blankly at the ruby floor and continued trying to pull the knots and grunge out of her wild mane.

* * *

Terra was kneeling in front of his lords again, and again, he had a bad feeling about what they were about to say to him. Nothing good came after they stated they wanted to speak with him alone..

"Aqua will be your responsibility," Xehanort announced as the high-ranking knight rose to his feet.

"What?! Why me?!" The armored young man did not mean to be disrespectful he just did not want this kind of task. "Can't someone else be responsible for her? Xaldin took care of the last one…"

"Because Xaldin was the best man for that particular _job_ ," Marluxia mentioned casually as he straightened his tattered jacket "and you happen to be the most equipped for this one."

Terra was a millisecond away from losing his temper.

"I'm sure someone else is just as… _'equipped'_ to handle Blue," Terra scoffed.

"It has to be you," Zexion finally spoke as he held his enormous, coal-black book with silver edges open, tenderly running his fingertips along the worn pages within it.

The book was filled with the Seer Sages visions and their notes on the future as well as potential futures. Zexion always had it and was always scribbling in it even if he was not having a vision or peering into the future. Terra had never laid eyes on its contents and he had a terrible, gnawing feeling that he should _never_ lay eyes upon it. He had a sneaking suspicion the damned thing was cursed or made from human flesh or had the ability to eat people's souls. It wasn't something to be trifled with. He knew that and he wasn't even superstitious.

The youngest seer wore a simple pale gray button up shirt and traditional, black slacks. The shirt was not buttoned at the top nor was it tucked into his pants as he carefully flipped the pages of his precious book.

Zexion tossed his sporadic, scruffy bangs out of his face. "In order to receive the future we desire, you must be the one to handle her. We see no other alternative."

"If she is to have a successful rehabilitation, you have to be the one to manage her in between lessons with us, the Elder, and High Elders," Larxene added. "Should anyone else be responsible for her, the rehabilitation will end in failure and we will not be able to harness her powers."

"The only way we will be able to use her as we want is if _you_ guard her." Marluxia chuckled darkly. Miserable was written all over Terra's face and he was reveling in it.

"I am a Dark Knight not a _guardian_ ," Terra snorted. "I have more important things to do than supervise _that_ girl! What about Purges? How will I be able to do my tasks if I have some Child of Light clinging to me?"

"Enough!" Lord Xehanort had finally lost his patience for Terra disobedience.

"Do you question our decisions? Are you questioning the importance of this matter? Do you think we are that ignorant? Do you truly believe we would assign you to something that would be a waste of your time and abilities?" Xehanort scolded and Terra squeezed his midnight blue eyes shut.

"No, Master." The knight humbled himself and lowered his head as his short, coffee-colored locks fell around him and framed his face.

"The girl is not a handicap. Even if she was, Vanitas and the other Dark Knights are more than capable of performing your duties while you carry out your assignment here," Ansem stated and waved his hand dismissively.

"You will simply carry out tasks close to home. No extended trips. No long missions. You need to be here so you can keep a close eye on her when we cannot," Xemnas remarked. "You have witnessed the Elders participate in countless rehabilitations. Surely you understand how they are carried out."

"Aqua will require less and less supervision with time. These first few months will be the most trying and the most critical to its success and that is why you have been assigned to her. She will be rewarded for good behavior and punished for insubordination. Eventually, if things go as planned, she will no longer require your services," Xehanort explained tactfully, "but for now, the spirited girl will not leave your sight. She will live in the palace and she will stay in your quarters with you."

"She is your charge and her insolence will be your own. If she is fails, you fail," Ansem warned before intersected his arms over his partially exposed chest that was covered with a tattoo of the Heartless Insignia.

"You are also responsible with teaching her just as we are. Instruct her. You can gain influence over her," Marluxia suggested, referring to a potential future. "If she is clay, then you are a molder."

The bronze warrior was tired of all the instructions and the subtle hints at the possible future. Terra did not like not knowing _exactly_ what they were speaking of but apparently, it was important.

He also hated how they talked to him like her future depended on him. Like he would make a huge difference in how their little _project_ would turn out. They spoke in if's and when's and he despised it.

Dark Knights were not used for this kind of nonsense. This was a job for an Elder. Yes, one day Terra wished to become an Elder but he was just twenty-one years old and he wanted to be a Dark Knight. But if he wanted to become an Elder in the future, this would be a great opportunity for him to prove himself. They had likely already thought of that. This was probably their way of testing _him_ as well.

"Do you understand, Terra?" Xehanort questioned sternly.

He understood the orders. He was babysitting a brat. He was stuck with her until she learned to act civilized. _If_ she learned to act civilized. The pressure was put on him to ensure that she was a success.

They wanted to use her. They wanted her powers and gifts on their side. In order to accomplish all of those goals, they needed to go through Terra.

"I understand, my liege," he complied and knelt in submission before the Dark Overlords.

"Take her to Vexen. He can do something about her magic and you need to take her Keyblade," Xemnas commanded emotionlessly.

The knight nodded and stared vacantly at the carpeted steps Xehanort stood upon.

"What happened to your helmet?" Xehanort demanded; his brow furrowed.

"S-She ruined it, my lord," Terra reluctantly admitted as he shrank into his bronze armor.

"Get another one and do not ever degrade yourself in such a way again," Ansem chastised him coldly and slammed his fist into his armrest.

"Yes, sire." Terra knelt even lower in humiliation.

"Leave us," Xehanort spoke with immense amounts of irritation in his guttural voice as he waved his hand for Terra to get out of his sight.

The humiliated warrior rose to his feet and bowed once more before storming stoically out of the Grand Hall.

With more force than necessary, he busted through the massive doors of the Grand Hall and looked for the bitch he would be stuck with for some untold amount of time.

Aqua was sitting next to Roxas, softly talking to him. She was actually smiling dully and almost giggling.

Terra's powerful jaw clenched at the sight.

"Up," he demanded emotionlessly and he yanked her to her feet by her forearm.

Terra did not even acknowledge Roxas. He was too angry with him to speak to his old friend. He was _not_ in the mood for his kindness.

"Is something wrong, Terra?" Roxas asked as Terra began hauling Aqua roughly down the hallway by her thin arm.

"Yes," was the older knight's only reply.

"Oh, well, let me know if there is anything I can do," the dual Keyblade Master offered as he struggled to keep up with Terra's enraged pace.

_You can start by not being so ridiculously nice to my captive,_ he rebuked inwardly.

"It was nice to meet you, Aqua," Roxas added before he stopped his pursuit.

"You too," she said gently and smiled over her shoulder at him.

"Where are you dragging me to now?" she finally got the courage to ask the man pulling her arm.

"You have an appointment," he answered vaguely. His hand tightened around the soft skin of her appendage and he heard her wince as his fingertips dug into her harmless flesh.

_Good. I hope you are as miserable as I am._

"What kind of appointment?" she continued to question despite the discomfort she felt.

The brown-haired Keyblade Master did not answer; instead he continued to stride angrily down the long passageways.

No one dared cross the Dark Knight's path. Terra glared fatal daggers at anyone unfortunate enough to be within the vermillion hallways he tugged Aqua down. He was trying his best to hold in his temper, but he could feel his control slipping. He couldn't believe what he had just been assigned with or better yet _whom_ he had been assigned to.

_How dare they give me a task so base! She better turn into something amazing. She better be ultimate fucking weapon in disguise._

When they reached one of the many doors that lined the intricate hallways, Terra released her arm and began pounding on the door. He was not knocking. He was clearly pounding. Terra savagely bludgeoned the door until Vexen answered it.

"What is going on, Terra? I demand an explanation!" the green-eyed scientist asked as he examined the unconventional couple that was standing in his doorway.

"I need you to do something about her magic," he stated simply as he leaned nonchalantly in the doorway.

"Oh, ho! I see! Come in, come in!" Vexen exclaimed with eerie enthusiasm before he reentered his laboratory like room.

Aqua stood silently behind her irate escort and began to fidget with her milky fingertips. She knew what she was supposed to do, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to follow the strange scientist into that cold room so she ended up fidgeting.

"You heard the man," Terra huffed and continued to rest against the burgundy doorway, waiting for his charge to enter the room.

Swallowing hard, Aqua timidly entered the blindingly, white room filled with test tubes, bubbling potions, and a desk coated with countless unorganized papers and reports.

"Sit," the bizarre man instructed her and pointed to a dirty, metal examining table.

Aqua grimaced and glanced back at Terra expectantly.

"Do what he says," he commanded impatiently as he rubbed his aching temples.

Aqua did as she was told and sat on the ferociously cold surface of the table.

"Aqua, I presume?" the Elder asked.

Aqua nodded in response while Vexen pulled out a large vial filled with a thick, pea green liquid. His hands were covered in latex gloves as he reached into one of the pockets of his lab coat and pulled out a large needle and syringe.

Once she realized she was about to be injected with an unknown substance, the Light Keyblade wielder leapt to her feet and prepared to barrel out of the room; consequences be damned.

Before she could get too far, Terra had already captured her by her waist and slung her back onto the examining table.

Aqua kicked and screamed and fought the Dark Knight's hold, persistently trying to break free and run as far away from this place as she could.

The Dark Knight growled in frustration as he climbed onto the examining table, crawling atop her so he could effectively pin her down.

"Get off me!" she shouted as she hit at him and everything else around her. Vials and test tubes shattered and busted on the hard surface of the pearly floor as the Keyblade bearers fought for dominance on the examining table.

"Stop it!" Terra roared before forcefully shackled her writs above her head, slamming them onto the table and pinning her legs down with his steel-plated ones.

"Vexen, I seriously recommend you invest in some form of restraints for these Light-damn tables!" Terra cursed the scientist as he continued to writhe with the struggling girl underneath him.

"It is usually not required," Vexen responded condescendingly while he drew the morbid fluid into the large syringe. "It has been ages since I've had to treat someone this... _spirited_."

"Just hold her still," the scientist complained as he approached the frantic girl.

"I am doing the best I can! Just give her the fucking shot!" Terra bellowed fiercely and applied more pressure to Aqua's thrashing limbs so Vexen could effectively administer the treatment. If he failed the first time, he would have to try again and Terra didn't want to wrestle with Aqua any longer than he had to.

The needle rammed up into her exposed forearm just underneath the curve of her elbow, causing Aqua to shriek. She could feel the bulky needle grind against her veins and through her nerves as it made its way to the artery it searched for.

Vexen used his thumb to inject the substantial amount serum into her unsuspecting body. Large baby blue eyes widened as she felt the substance slither up her arm and expand throughout her body like a contagious virus. It settled into her system, effectively subduing her as it took root inside of her. Her body went limp and she stopped struggling.

When Terra felt her defeat, he exhaled deeply through his mouth and unhurriedly removed himself from his position over her.

"What did you do to me?" she asked before she cautiously sat up and rubbed the bruising puncture wound in her arm.

"Nothing fatal. It will simply inhibit your magic use," Vexen answered and began sterilizing his needle in a nearby sink.

"My magic? You took away my magic?!" Aqua shouted and scowled at both men.

"Relax, Blue. It's not permanent," Terra responded and began straightening his armor that became disheveled in their scuffle.

"She will need to receive injections monthly or her abilities will return," Vexen advised before placing his hands in his lab coat's pockets.

"Got it," the knight answered. He grasped Aqua's good arm and jerked her out of the room.

As they journeyed through the crimson hallways, Terra noticed her wrists were bleeding again from when he had held her down on the table.

"That could have been avoided if you would have just been a good girl and taken the shot. He might have even given you a lollipop," he taunted with vast amounts of sarcasm and scorn. "Next time, I suggest you just suck it up and take it. It will make both of our lives a lot easier."

Aqua did not respond. She was so sick of talking to him. She was so sick of _him_.

Aqua was sure this was the longest day of her life. The torment never ended and she was going numb both physically and emotionally. She was downright exhausted. She had never been so tired in her life and the day just kept dragging on. She wanted to sleep. She just wanted to sleep. If she was asleep, she wouldn't be there, she wouldn't be with Terra, she wouldn't be in pain, and every single inch of her being wouldn't in utter anguish.

Terra led her down even more hallways and staircases until they reached another large burgundy door outlined in golden trim.

The false knight in shining armor fondled the golden handle and opened the door for her.

"Ladies first," he said and faked a bow.

Aqua used what remained of her energy to scoff at him before she entered the elaborate room.

The crimson and black room was luxurious to say the least. Across the huge room, beaming moonlight gleamed through the giant glass doors that led to a magnificent balcony overlooking the enormous city. Two mahogany bookshelves filled with vibrant books guarded a cleanly wooden desk on one side of the room while a massive king sized canopy bed jutted from the opposite wall.

A bare mannequin meant to hold empty knight armor sat in the corner next to the lovely bed of ebony and vermillion while another door waited on the other side of the bed. She assumed it led to a closet the size of her room back home.

Her eyes traveled back to the other side of the room with the bookshelves and desk and noticed another door beside them.

_I guess that's a bathroom…_

"Welcome to your new temporary home away from home," Terra groused and began removing pieces of his bronze armor.

"Wait… This is your room?" she asked without thinking as she started circling the enormous bed.

"Mm hmm," he grumbled as he removed his gloomy cape.

"And _my room?"_

"That's right. And I assure you I am just as happy about this living arrangement as you are," he stated flatly and proceeded to remove bits of his dark protective covering.

"Don't I get my own room?" Aqua asked softly before she wrapped one of her arms around one of the bed's tall banisters and watched him place the removed armor onto the mannequin.

"Why would we give you your own room? That would be the equivalent of giving you permission to leave."

"Why do I have to stay with you? Why don't they just lock me up somewhere?" Aqua argued as she released the mahogany banister and approached him.

When Terra finally removed his bronze chest plate from his aching torso, Aqua's eyes went wide.

She had been hoping that the armor was what made Terra appear so muscular and intimidating. She was wrong. The dark armor only added about an inch to his already massive frame. The man did not need the armor to give the impression of unquestionable brawn. He was big enough without it.

"That is not how rehabilitation works. If they wanted you locked up, they would have locked you up," his strong voice quivered. He was losing the small amount patience he had managed to regain.

"I don't understand why I have to stay with you. Why can't I just-"

"Look," Terra interrupted and towered over her, "I don't give the orders. I just follow them."

He was violating her personal space again and she automatically glanced in the opposite direction.

"You are a tool," she hissed under her breath.

"I don't give a fuck! I am so tired I couldn't care less! I could be a fucking moogle for all I care!" the knight roared and threw one of his boots violently against the wall behind his new, blue roommate.

Aqua had, had enough. Lifelessly, she walked to one side of the bed and sat on the lavish, carpeted floor, resting her weary back against the bed. She brought her sore, bruised legs to her chest, crossed her arms over her knees, and buried her face in her arms. Long, cobalt tresses fell all around her and lightly curtained her entire body.

Reality was cruelly crashing down on her. Her sister was gone, her Master was gone, she was a failure, she had gotten Riku in serious trouble, she had gotten herself captured, her magic was gone, her entire body was consumed with pain, and she was being rehabilitated by the Dark Overlords themselves. It was a nightmare she could never awake from, because it was real.

She should probably want to cry. She probably should cry, but she just could not bring herself to. Numbness was devouring her and she just did not feel like crying. More than anything, she did not want to cry in front of her new... _companion._

While Aqua was distracted, Terra had entered his bathroom to remove the bottom half of his armor and replaced them with loose, beige pants. He walked to the mannequin adjacent to the crumpled girl and placed the remnants of his armor on it.

The warrior ran his large hand through his dark hair and exhaled harshly through his mouth. "Do whatever it is that…you do for bed," he somewhat commanded before he walked to his bed and began pulling back his beds massive vermillion bed spread.

It suddenly became abundantly clear why they wanted her there…with him. It was all part of the rehabilitation. It would be degrading to share a bed with someone you hate, with someone of the opposite sex. This too was a means to shatter her will as well as her dazzling spirit.

Blue hair flew wildly as her head shot up. Clumsily, she crawled to her feet and stared back and forth between Terra and the bed, realization washing over her.

"I'm not doing _anything_ ," she answered him vaguely. Aqua meant for the statement to have multiple meanings.

"I wasn't asking," Terra countered as he stopped paying attention to the state of his bed and unenthusiastically inspected her.

She uncomfortably wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"Again, I wasn't asking," he repeated and placed his fists on his hips.

"I will sleep on the floor," Aqua suggested as her arms crisscrossed over her chest and her hands tightly clasped her porcelain shoulders.

"No, you are sleeping in this bed so I will know where you are. I am not stupid. I know you would run or bludgeon me the instant you get the chance," the knight stated as he lowered his arms and made his way around the bed.

"I won't I promise! I am too tired to even think about escaping!" the cobalt maiden begged and innocently placed her hands over her heart.

"I don't believe you!"Terra yelled after he finally reached her position on the other side of the canopy bed.

Aqua shifted uncomfortably from where she stood and a bright red blush emerged on her pure face.

"I-I... I have… I've never shared a bed with a man before…" she admitted so softly he barely heard her even from their close proximity.

Terra yanked the covers off her side of the bed.

"There is a first time for everything," he said sarcastically and fiercely pointed to the vacant space in his bed.

"No," she said tersely as she fearfully backed away from him and his intimidating bloodstained bed.

A dark brown brow rose curiously.

He had aggressively fought this girl and yelled at her countless times since their encounter in Amur but he had _never_ seen her show any signs of fear. Not even when he cornered her. Terra had seen many emotions hidden behind her sky blue eyes but he had never seen fear, not until now.

"You think I want to take advantage of you?" he asked darkly as he backed her into the nearest wall.

Terra was insulted on a thousand different levels.

It was _very_ likely that the Overlords were hoping that he would force himself on her while she lived with him in order to fracture her hope and determination, but he would never actually do it. In fact, it had not even crossed his mind until the moment Aqua _offended_ him.

Terra scoffed. "Vanitas might, but I refuse to degrade myself in such a manner."

The blue-haired girl's back hit the wall and her eyes gaped at him. He placed his wide hands on both sides of her head, pinning her to the wall.

"I have _never_ had to _steal_ it. Even if I was going to, I would not waste my effort on _you_ ," he spat, looking her up and down with disgust.

"Why would I want someone like you? I am flattered but you are not my type, Blue," he purred as he seized her dainty chin and forced her to look directly at him.

Aqua glanced at his face but her eyes did not openly regard him. She could not gaze at him. Her resentment ran too deep. Instead her eyes went distant, unfocused, and cold while she peered in the direction of his face.

"But if I wanted to," he pressed the entire length of his body firmly to hers and crushed her against the wall with his domineering hips, his fingers curling and scraping at the walling by her ears, "I guarantee you I could. Do not think I couldn't. Trust me, I am more than capable."

At that moment, Aqua was glad she was virtually numb. However, no amount of numbness could ever completely deliver her from Terra's overbearing actions.

Heat and fury radiated off his bare skin in smothering waves. His hips savagely dug into her unsuspecting, virtuous ones. Terra's toned, ridged stomach compressed itself against the quivering plains of her exposed abdomen and his sturdy legs parted hers so he could bury himself between her legs, emphasizing his brutal point.

Aqua had learned the hard way that the vile knight was not all talk. He not only spoke with vast amounts of intensity, he physically proved his points as well. Verbal threats were not enough; he had to demonstrate his possible actions until all the doubts of his threatening remarks were disintegrated.

Terra smirked at her vacant expression and leaned down toward her angelic face. He got so close to her that their noses almost grazed and their lips nearly touched as he spoke.

"But you're in luck. I don't fuck whores tainted by Light," he condemned before viciously withdrew his body from hers and Aqua released a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Now get in the bed," Terra ordered as he peeled her off the wall and shoved her toward bed.

After stumbling and glaring back at the irritated knight, Aqua reluctantly stripped back the black sheet underneath the bloodstained bedspread and immersed herself in the blackened abyss of sheets.

Terra released a sigh of relief once she was in bed. He was so tired of arguing with her and he desperately wanted to sleep. At this point, he would have been willing to sleep with anyone just as long as he was able to rest. He would even be willing to cuddle with Vanitas for Darkness' sake!

Slowly, he began his trek to his side of the bed. The Keyblade Master sat on his bed and gazed at the girl buried in his bed. He would need some way of knowing she was still in bed with him. While roughly running both of his hands through his shaggy brown hair, he contemplated his options.

He could wrap her hair around his hand, but she could just cut her hair and he wouldn't know she was gone until morning. He could hold her sash but she could just remove it. It was barely tied around her waist as it was. It would be very easy for her to slip out of it. The best option was to simply lock his arm around _her_. Terra was not a light sleeper and the best way to ensure she woke him if she tried anything, was if he was physically holding her.

The young man could not count the amount of one night stands he had when the lady he spent the night with would wake before him and would begin dressing without him hearing a thing until he was either yelled at or shaken.

Terra slept like the rocks he commanded. He would have to clasp onto her or he wouldn't sense her movements. Blue was extremely graceful, he had learned that lesson well in Amur. He wouldn't underestimate her again.

She would hate it, but it had to be done.

Terra attempted to clear his throat. "Get comfortable and I will mold around you."

"Excuse me?" she bristled and sat up in the bed and accidentally looked into his royal blue eyes.

Their eyes actually locked and Aqua nervously chewed on her bottom lip as her heart sank. Looking directly into his smoldering eyes made her...uncomfortable. It was like getting a bee sting inside one of the atriums of her heart.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Terra was not sure _why_ he did not want repeat it; he just knew that he did not want to…

"This day just keeps getting better," she mumbled into his ebony pillow.

She faced away from him and lied so far on her side she was almost on the flat surface of her stomach. Terra watched her intently until she stopped moving. When her petite body stilled, he took it at his signal to move.

Terra slid down into the bed and covered Aqua's body with the bed covers, creating a barrier of ruby bedspreads and black sheets between them. His thick muscular arm disappeared under the covers and snaked around her waist. Forcefully, he yanked her towards his body causing a soft grunt to escape her lips. The feminine body tensed and resisted him as he melded his larger one flush against hers.

Her stomach lurched as she felt his warm, bare arm graze her hip then wind snugly around her waist. Immediately, she felt nauseous. His heated chest was against her back and she could feel the length of his body behind her. He was shadowing her. Just as she thought she could not stand the intimacy for another moment, his grasp retreated and instead took a permanent place over the covers that enveloped her. He was sparing her from direct contact…and she was…grateful.

The Dark Knight still tightly held her through the covers, but it was not as bad as it could have been. The mercy was almost enough to coax an expression of gratitude from her. Almost

His face was resting against the curve of her neck and she could feel his steady breathing. Instantly, she noticed that Terra was still very warm, but he was not scorching like he had been in Amur.

_Probably because my inner Blizzard has been melted…_

Terra shifted behind Aqua a few more times before he settled into the crook of her neck. Lengthy, cobalt tresses covered their pillow and the smell of lavender and a fresh ocean breeze frolicked under his nose.

_She even smells like the ocean…_ he thought as he buried his face further into her porcelain nape. He was lying on her wavy azure hair but for some reason he did not mind.

_It doesn't feel…bad…_ he thought before he began dozing off.

The warrior's sultry breath tickled the back of her neck and Aqua unwillingly shivered as she closed her burning, exhausted eyes. His breathing had slowed and his muscles had relaxed. The tension in his body that she had recently gotten much too comfortable with was gone. He was warm and almost tender, like a lover…

Aqua trembled again from his presence and suddenly she felt water streaming down her cheeks.

Finally, she was able to cry. Something about the way he held her, the way his sultry breath fondled her neck, and the fact that he was no longer awake to witness her weep had coaxed her body into succumbing to its much-needed release.

The floodgates had been opened and she began to silently sob in the dark room that was only lighted by the pale moonlight that shone through the large balcony doors.

"Sorry, Blue," he mumbled incoherently when he felt her quiver with sobs. He no longer wrestled with the thick grip of sleep. Terra had fallen asleep with Aqua in his confining arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Congratulations on getting through this lengthy chapter! I would give you a cookie if i could. I know this one was a bit longer than the others and I apologize for that. I try my best to keep them all around the same length but sometimes I cannot help how they turn out. 
> 
> Ok so in this universe Hollow Bastion looks like Radiant Garden from Birth By Sleep except for Tarnen Palace aka the castle or citadel. The Overlords's castle looks more like a Hollow Bastion (mostly Hollow Bastion) and a Radiant Garden hybrid on the outside, but the inside is my bizarre vision of how I thought Tarnen Palace should appear. 
> 
> In case you haven't noticed, I am using like ALL of Organization XIII in this story. So if your favorites have not shown up yet I assure you they will eventually. I plan on using almost all of the characters from the Kingdom Hearts series at some point. Just because they have not made an appearance does not mean that they won't as the story progresses. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Crash Course in Polite Conversation

* * *

_She's crying herself to sleep every night_

_Until her eyes shut and she finds better times_

_She wakes when she dreams_

_And sleeps when she wakes_

_Now sleep my sweet girl_

_And dream of better days_

_-Lucero, She Wakes When She Dreams_

* * *

Aqua tossed and turned all night. She frequently wrestled with Terra as she fought for a somewhat comfortable position. She knew being truly confortable while lying with him in this hellhole would be all but impossible. The groggy knight would groan and grumble each time she woke him and forced them to reposition themselves. The sapphire girl repeatedly complained and swatted at the man she shared the bed with, but would simply yawn and mutter indecipherable statements while he waited for her protests to cease.

Despite being in a huge canopy bed with lavish covers and silky, black sheets, the female Keyblade wielder could never find enough serenity to truly sleep. She had been restless to say the least. Needless to say _neither_ of them had gotten much sleep.

The sun had risen and had taken the place of the luminous moon. Every space in the Dark Knight's room was filled with the brilliant midday rays of the sun and Aqua was not going back to sleep.

"I'm up," she protested and ripped herself out of her dozing bedmate's masculine arms. Aqua knew if she told him she was awake, he would be forced to wake too and he would no longer have a reason to bind her with his arms.

Terra groaned languidly and removed his arms from the watery maiden. The off duty knight rolled onto his broad back and stretched his long arms over his head. He had not been asleep for a while, but he was trying to rest as much as he could before Aqua forced him to rise.

While the warrior stretched, Aqua took the opportunity to bury herself under the vast amounts of covers.

The male Keyblade Master chuckled softly as he watched her sink down into his bed and cover her entire body up to her head in blankets. He knew she was still extremely tired even though she said she was up. She wanted to sleep just not with him latched onto her.

Terra was feeling somewhat gracious today despite his sleep deprivation so he decided to allow her to rest while he prepared for his day.

Just as he was about to leave the warmth and tranquility of his bed to enter the chaotic outside world, a delicate knock fell upon his door.

Terra cursed under his breath and sat upright in his crimson bed.

"Who is it?" he called politely and he felt Aqua curling into an even tighter ball under her cocoon of blankets. It was like she was trying to bury herself so that nothing or no one would harm her anymore, like she was trying to hide from the very world itself.

"It's Larxene," a deceiving considerate voice called from outside the massive, wooden door.

Terra slung the crumpled covers out of his lap.

"Come in," he said curtly before rising to his feet.

"Good morning, love," the blonde seer greeted him as she gracefully entered his room, gently shutting the door behind her.

"Larxene," Terra greeted Larxene dismissively as he made his way to his bathroom.

The seeress walked to the bed and elegantly sat on its flaccid surface before crossing her pale legs.

"Is that _her_?" she asked with disgust and pointed to the mound on top of the deep, ruby bed.

"That's her," the knight replied dismissively while he began running water into his silver sink and started washing his face.

Noticing the dried blood around his muzzle, Terra pulled back his bottom lip and inspected his busted mouth. Aqua had gotten him good. He groaned to himself before lowering his head into the sink, washing what remained of the dark, dried blood off his lip and the corner of his mouth.

"How was your first night together? I hope it was better than our first night together," Larxene teased.

"What did you come here for?" Terra snapped agitatedly as he emerged in the doorway of his bathroom.

Wiping the remaining water off his chin and mouth, he glared intensely at Larxene.

"You are going to need to wash more than your face. You are filthy," the seer with menacing green eyes fussed as she turned her nose up at him.

"Anyway, I came to invite you and you're new whore to dinner tonight," she continued and bent down to straighten one of her deadly sharp high heels.

"The Overlords want to get to know _it,"_ she scoffed and glanced at the heap that was Aqua. "I don't see why they would want to, but they do. If you've seen one Light tramp, you've seen them all."

Larxene placed her hands behind her back and reclined slightly onto the bed.

"If I had not seen the floozy's capabilities myself, I would still be skeptical. Truthfully, I was shocked that you were chosen to watch over her. No one has ever required a Dark Knight before. I suppose the hussy is picky." The Seer Sage gracefully put a lock of chin length gold behind her ear.

"I can hear you. I am right here." Aqua finally emerged from her self-made swaddle and scowled at the girl who had already insulted her multiple times in the short amount of time she had been in the room.

Larxene gave an exaggerated sarcastic gasp as she looked at the blue-haired girl, "The white witch _can_ speak!"

The seer continued to ignore the Light peasant and followed Terra into his bathroom.

"Did you hear me?" the blonde woman asked while Terra leaned over his sink, digging his fingers into its granite surface.

He heard her all right but he wished that he hadn't. The Overlords had not had a dinner in months. Such events were saved for special occasions and apparently Aqua was a special occasion. They were likely holding this dinner in her _honor._ In reality, the dinner was going to be their way of humiliating her and ripping her apart. It was an evaluation more than an actual dinner.

"Yeah," he answered and splashed more water onto his face.

"I will come for her later in the afternoon to prepare her for the evening," Larxene announced as she went back to the bed to glare at Aqua.

"Darkness knows she needs it," she proceeded before sitting next to the cobalt girl in the bed again.

"I can prepare myself," Aqua argued while mindlessly playing with Terra's bedspread.

"Of course you can," Larxene condemned her like a child as she patted her porcelain hands.

"I would lose that feisty attitude if I were you," the blonde heeded, "the girl from the last rehabilitation was feisty and let's just say she isn't around anymore."

"What happened to her?" Aqua asked out of pure curiosity.

"You don't know?" the seeress provoked the other female's curiosity. "Well, she ended up like most of the others."

The nymph began gazing at her much too sharp fingernails.

"Larxene," Terra chided from the bathroom doorway.

He was not sure _why_ he cared that Larxene was toying with Aqua; he just knew he didn't like it.

"You know what happened to the others, don't you?" Larxene probed.

Aqua did not answer; she merely continued to watch the seer.

"Oh, well, our Elder, Xaldin, was in charge of the last rehabilitation subject we had and she got caught trying to escape so a public execution was held for her," Larxene began impishly.

"You haven't had the pleasure of meeting Xaldin but he wields a _really_ sharp lance. So, he brought six of his best lances to the execution. They tied her by her hands and feet to the ground in the Town Square," she continued casually, continuing to examine her fingertips as she spoke.

"He had a lance to go through both of her hands, both of her feet, one for her head and finally, one to go through her heart." The green-eyed woman pointed to six random spots on the bed to demonstrate the execution of an innocent girl.

"But Xaldin is not your _caretaker,_ sweet little Terra is," Larxene stated as she glanced over at a shirtless Terra.

"So, if you are executed for trying to run away, you won't be impaled to the ground by lances. You will probably be crushed to death by stones. Lots of them." The Seer Sage grinned savagely. "Because if you fail, your… _guardian_ is the one that carries out your sentence."

Aqua glanced across the room at Terra with innocent eyes. Suddenly, Terra's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He knew she was thinking about him killing her.

"Is that true?" she asked sincerely, almost timidly.

"It's true," the knight answered as his eyes fell uncomfortably to the floor. He did not like the way she was looking at him and he couldn't bring himself to hold eye contact with her.

"So let that be even more motivation to for you to stay put," Larxene threatened as she dug a sharp fingernail under Aqua's milky chin and forced her to look away from Terra and gaze at her. "I know a runaway when I see one, and you are _definitely_ the kind of person who runs."

Aqua scoffed and yanked her head away from the seer's razor-sharp nail, not caring if it broke the skin in the process.

"I will see both of you later in the afternoon," she giggled and stood on her high-heeled feet. "I suggest you have a better attitude by the time I come back," the jade-eyed seer heeded before she shut the door behind her.

"She is a seeress, isn't she?" Aqua asked as she took her cerulean eyes away from the door Larxene just exited from to peer over at Terra.

"Yeah," he murmured as he reclined in his bathroom doorway.

She nodded silently and looked down solemnly at her sore, disfigured wrists. The red wounds had finally begun to scab over, but she could tell that it would take a long time for them to heal without treatment; even then, they would still probably leave some nasty scars.

Terra noticed that she was gazing down at her mangled wrists. He also noticed how bad they looked.

"I can heal you if you want," the unarmored knight offered as his fingers began drumming on his arms.

"I would rather bleed to death," Aqua snapped while she continued to stare down at her deformities.

"That could be arranged," Terra taunted with a wide grin.

Aqua pretended to laugh as she started rubbing her weary eyes.

"Do you want to wash off?" Terra tried again to get some form of compliance from her.

"With you?" she huffed and she rolled her eyes. Aqua desperately wanted to get clean, just not with him watching her.

"I will have to stay in the bathroom of course, but I won't _physically_ get in with you," he complied with a dismissive shrug.

"Okay," she reluctantly accepted the offer and pulled the covers off her body and made her way to the bathroom. She didn't want Terra in the bathroom at all, but she _really_ did want to take a shower so she decided to comply. At least he wouldn't be in the shower with her. Her situation –while unpleasant- could be worse.

Once Aqua was inside, Terra leapt up onto his sink and sat on the countertop.

The young woman pulled back the ruby shower curtain and disappeared behind it. After she created the barrier between her and her _guardian,_ she began removing her clothes. She pulled the navy blue top up over her head and slid her shorts and undergarments down her ivory legs with her stockings. Lastly, she removed her sash and timidly peered around the corner of the cherry-colored shower curtain.

"Yes?" Terra questioned as he watched her from his perch on the countertop made of crystalline, igneous rock.

"Um… I'm just going to, uh… Put these…out here," she announced shakily as she dropped her jumbled pile of clothes to the black tile floor of the bathroom.

The Dark Knight smirked as she quickly vanished behind the curtain again. He then resisted the urge to take a catnap on the long, sink countertop as he heard her turn the water on in the shower. The natural rhythm of the water gliding off her body was like a lullaby and his eyes began to close as he listened to the heavenly melody.

As Aqua began rinsing her body, her wrists began to sting and burn. She knew if she was going to use any form of soap, it would be absolute agony, and if she was taking the time to shower she was going to do it right.

Hesitant fingers pulled back the wine red curtain again and she peeked around the fabric. Terra was still sitting on the sink. His exposed back was against the wall next to the top of the sink and one of his legs was propped up on the sink with him while the other dangled lifelessly down in front of the sink's cabinets. The dozing man's head kept lobbing over to one side as he fought the clutches of slumber.

Aqua softly cleared her throat and turned off the water to get his attention.

"Hmm," Terra answered and his midnight blue eyes instantly reopened.

"I-I…um…I want to use soap…but my wrists…." Aqua clasped the curtain nervously as she struggled to find the right words. "I-I don't want you to heal me but could I wrap them or something so I can get all this…grime off me?"

"Sure," he responded flatly before he jumped down from his perch and opened the cabinet over the toilet.

Terra pulled out a large, gray towel and held it out before her for her to walk into. Graciously, he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes.

The Child of Light pulled the shower curtain the rest of the way back and stepped out of the tub and walked into the towel Terra outstretched for her. As he felt her mold into the towel, he helped her wrap it around her sopping, bare body.

After she was enveloped in the towel, the knight patted her shoulders twice, sighed, and made his way to the cabinets below his sink.

The maiden's shoulders tensed and she nervously grabbed her hair. She pulled the long, soaked cobalt locks over her nude shoulder and began twisting her hair in her hands while she waited.

"Catch," he called as he tossed her a roll of white medical tape.

Aqua caught the tape with ease. Terra was constantly surprised by her, he was sure she would struggle to catch the roll of tape like most girls, but her reflexes were amazing.

_She didn't even drop her towel,_ he mused.

Before trying to administer the tape to her lesions, she put the tape in her mouth and secured the knot at the top of her towel. Aqua would rather not flash Terra while wrapping her wrists.

Applying the medical tape proved to be more challenging than she had originally anticipated. She could only use one hand and the tape kept falling off her wound. Then she would feel her towel's knot slipping and she would try to fix it, and when she tried to fix her towel, the tape would completely fall off her wrist.

Aqua complained under her breath and continued to struggle with the medical bindings. The knight simply stood in place in front of her with an amused smirk on his hardened face.

After her fifth attempt to wrap the first wrist, Terra had seen enough. He knew she would not willingly accept his help at first, but now that she had failed a few times, he was pretty sure she would allow him aid her.

"Here," he said before grabbing her arm and the medical ribbon.

Aqua's radiant eyes went wide as he tenderly lifted her arm. He was gentle and that surprised her. How could the hands that had been so ruthless, cruel, and harmful be so gentle now?

The earthen warrior began wrapping the white bindings around her damaged wrist with ease. His calloused fingertips gazed her arm and palm as he administered the tape. Warm hands held her arm in place while he made careful laps around the radius of her wrist.

"You've done this before," she finally said, breaking their peaceful silence as she observed him.

"I am a Dark Knight. Getting hurt comes with the territory," Terra stated matter-of-factly before he leaned down to her wrist and broke the tape off the roll with his teeth. His searing breath crawled along her milky skin and she repressed another involuntary shiver.

_I really wish I would quit doing that…_ Aqua inwardly chided herself.

As he proceeded to wrap her other wrist, the Keyblade wielder meticulously examined him. When Terra mentioned getting hurt, it made her wonder if he had any scars.

He did. A wide range of subtle scars marred his tanned skin. No one would notice them unless they were close to him or paying exceptional amounts of attention. His body was clearly war ridden. Blades and Light knew what else had brutally kissed his skin, leaving pale marks and smears in their wake.

Most of the scars were faded, white, and aged but some of the others were relatively fresh. The newer scars had a pinker tint to them but they would likely turn into a translucent white like the others eventually. The scars would probably be much worse but Aqua had seen Terra use white magic. He would likely cast Cure on himself to lessen their appearance and damage.

Her head tilted and she noticed how absolutely ripped his muscles were. Terra was inhumanly sculpted. He was not bulky but the muscles he did have were deeply carved into his tanned hide. The muscles under his skin were too vigorous for that of the average male. Aqua had been around men her whole life but she had never seen one with muscles as aggressive as these. She reminded herself that Terra was a Dark Knight. Dark Knights had to be an impenetrable fortress. Aqua did not even want to know what kind of training he had to endure to get those chiseled muscles. She almost felt sympathy for him. Almost.

"Okay. That probably won't completely spare them from the elements, but it will probably be better than them being uncovered," he said as he again ripped the tape off the roll with his immaculate teeth, and her eyes lingered on his lips and mouth much longer than she cared to admit.

The Dark Knight held both of her wrists individually in his large hands as he smoothed out any jagged, uneven edges of the tape with his thumbs.

Dull blue eyes traveled up her water kissed arms, her fragile looking shoulders, and finally to her pure face. Her bloodshot baby blue eyes were focused on his ministrations and she did not notice him peering at her so intently.

Sapphire hair was carelessly draped over her shoulder and cascaded down below her towel-covered chest like a river. Her tresses were compressed to the sides of her face while water glistened on her radiant, exposed flesh. Drops of fluid trickled down her cheeks and fell off her dark lashes as she blinked. She looked so ethereal, Terra was sure if he touched her face, she would disperse into thin air.

Shaking his head, the knight broke his trance and released her joints. "You should finish up before Larxene returns."

Aqua blinked a few times before she returned to the shower. Once inside, she removed the towel and held it out for the knight outside. He grabbed the towel and tossed it in the woven basket meant for dirty clothes for the servants to get later.

After grabbing a new towel for Aqua, Terra lazily propped himself against the sink.

Moments later she called for him.

"I'm finished." A porcelain hand emerged from behind the curtain and impatiently grasped at air while it waited for the towel.

The brunette handed the towel to the dainty hand, then Aqua emerged. She was bundled in the towel and began wringing the water out of her already water like hair.

"Can I have another towel?" she questioned as she leaned over and began shaking the liquid out of her long hair with both hands.

The Dark Keyblade Master didn't answer, but he did obey her request before he vanished into the bedroom.

Aqua followed him into the room as she began towel drying her thick, azure mane. "What did the seeress mean by 'prepare' me?"

Exhausted, the Keyblade Master collapsed face first into his fluffy bed.

"Dress you, clean you, and make you presentable. Shit like that," he mumbled indecipherably into the bedspread.

"I can do all that myself," she protested as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Not the way that they want you to."

"What is wrong with the way I dress myself?" Aqua huffed.

An irritated groan erupted from Terra as he got back to his feet. "Do you have a dress?"

"No…"

"Exactly. So would it kill you to just let us do our job," Terra complained and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"It might…"

* * *

Terra was getting anxious. It was late in the afternoon and the seeress had not come back yet. He paced around his quarters restlessly while Aqua sat elegantly on his bed with her hands placed in her lap, calmly watching him pace like a mad man.

The bronze warrior could not stand being cooped up like this. After he had put his armor back on, he had run out of things to do and arguing with Aqua was starting to get old.

"We wouldn't have to wait if you would have just let me dress myself," Aqua stated smugly.

Terra merely growled at her and began pacing even more.

After what felt like a small eternity, the knight finally heard the knocking he had been waiting for.

"Finally!" he yelled as he rushed to his door and almost yanked it off its hinges.

"We are ready for her now," Larxene said simply as she stood in her traditional edgy black dress with grey streaks that resembled lightening blots across her ribs. "Bring her when you're ready."

"I have been ready, seer," Terra grumbled under his breath once Larxene was out of earshot.

"Come on, Blue!" he called irritably and snapped his fingers at the girl who sat on his bed.

"I have a name you know," Aqua criticized as she rose to her feet and approached the knight and his doorway.

"I know. I just don't care," the Keyblade Master replied as he hauled her the rest of the way out of the room by her elbow and roughly shut the door behind her. "Now go."

Once she yanked her arm out of Terra's grip, Aqua reluctantly did as she was told and followed the fair seeress down the labyrinth of hallways.

Larxene led Aqua to a green room full of handmaidens, a bulbous dresser, and dressing table with blinding lights. The room was as big as Terra's but was arranged differently. The bathroom and closet was substantially larger and Aqua could only assume this was Larxene's room.

"Terra, you can wait in the hall," the Seer Sage said as she placed a deadly hand on his armored shoulder. "We will call for you if she causes any trouble."

"Behave," the imitation gentleman heeded as his unwanted responsibility vanished into the room with the Larxene.

Terra had not been waiting in the hall for five minutes before one of the maids opened the door and peaked around the tiny opening she created.

"Master Terra, w-we need you…"a pale girl with jet-black hair stated as her face flushed.

Terra groaned and entered the room.

Aqua hadn't heeded his warning. She was not behaving. The ethereal maiden was pushing, kicking, and screaming every time one of the servants or Larxene tried to touch her or even get moderately close to her. At that moment, Terra was seriously starting to think that all Children of Light were feral.

"What's the problem?" Terra asked as he casually straightened his breastplate.

"She is not cooperating," Larxene huffed as Aqua once again snatched her arm away from her.

"They are trying to take my clothes off!" Aqua countered before she looked across the room at Terra with wild eyes.

"Well, yeah. They need to dress you," the Dark Knight argued and resisted the urge to rub his temples. He could feel a headache coming on.

"I already told you! I can dress myself!" the cerulean Keyblade wielder repeated, adamant.

"That is beside the point! This is how things work here! I was dressed for tonight but you don't see me running around like an undomesticated beast," Larxene hissed before crossing her arms.

"So stop before I _make_ you stop," Terra threatened as he grabbed a chair and slung it around in front of him and forcefully plopped himself down into it, his armor clanking loudly from the force.

"Y-You aren't leaving?" the blue-haired girl questioned when she noticed Terra getting comfortable.

"No," the knight said firmly and crossed his shadowy arms. "You have lost your privacy right. I told you to behave. You didn't."

Aqua's pupils dilated as she understood what he was implying.

"I don't want to," Aqua said softly and shook her head back and forth.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to," Terra's voice rose.

"Please, don't make me…" she started to apprehensively beg.

"You mistake me for someone who cares," Terra said darkly as he reclined in his seat discreetly.

He knew it was degrading. He knew it was embarrassing. Especially after she had told him in confidence the night before that she had never even shared a bed with a man before. However, there was a lesson to be learned here and Terra was going to make her learn it. She _would_ learn to obey. If Aqua were to ever become civilized, she would have to learn how to take orders and stop questioning the Dark Rule's authority and way of life.

"Terra, I can take care of her _myself._ You don't have to stay in here I am _not_ -" Larxene started to protest.

"Did I stutter?!" the bronze warrior roared, causing everyone within the room to flinch. He had finally lost his patience.

Larxene was not defenseless. In fact, she was far from it. He knew that for a fact but he also knew that Aqua would continue to fight Larxene and the servants until Larxene did something unimaginable to her. Besides, this was about discipline and Aqua learning to submit, particularly to him. She was _his_ charge. She had defied _his_ order and if anyone was going to teach her to behave, it was going to be _him_.

"You heard him," Larxene said emotionlessly as the maids waited to see if Aqua would cooperate now that the knight was present.

Aqua stood perfectly still and stone faced as the palace servants began to undress her while she felt Terra's glowing dark blue eyes on her.

"Don't worry. He gets all of us naked eventually," Larxene teased as the three maids tittered into their hands but Aqua was far from amused.

Two housekeepers pulled down each side of Aqua's shorts, yanked off her stockings, and untied the small string that held her sash around her hips. Her face turned a deep shade of crimson as she unwillingly stepped out of her shorts and stockings.

Meanwhile, Larxene had begun digging inside of one of her many extravagant closets; looking for a dress that would best suit Aqua and her unique features.

When the cerulean maiden felt one of the maids grab her shirt, she bristled and quickly slid her arms inside her shirt and covered her breasts before they could completely expose her to the unflinching knight who sat stoically in front of her.

The small, white blouse was pulled over her azure head and Aqua locked both of her arms uncomfortably over her exposed chest. Long blue tresses fell all around her shoulders and tickled the arms that hid her bare chest.

With an emotionless expression on his face, Terra sat and watched the half-naked girl. She was left in only her small, silky white undergarments. Her innocent face was tinted red as she locked her arms over her bare chest. His distant, unfocused eyes wandered over the flat plains of her stomach, full hips, and thighs.

Terra was not sure how old she was, he had never cared enough to ask but she was clearly old enough to have a woman's figure.

Aqua was not as curvy some of the women Terra had seen but she definitely had a feminine shape. Her build was petite but her bust was large enough that she had to use her arms and not just her hands to shield herself from his corrupt eyes. The girl had an hourglass figure but the hourglass was not as pronounced as some. Aqua's body was toned, well-built, and slender from wielding a Keyblade and producing magic.

The servants began pulling at her lengthy azure locks. They brushed and yanked at her hair. Clearly not used to this kind of treatment, Aqua would bite her lip and complain under her breath with each unpleasant tug.

Eventually, Larxene emerged from the vast closet with a pure, white garment draped over her arm.

"Step into this," the seeress commanded as she held the dress at her feet.

With reluctant bare feet, Aqua stepped into the bleached article of clothing. As soon as she placed her feet into the dress, it was forcefully hauled up her bare body.

"Ow!" she protested as Larxene coarsely pulled the dress over her breasts.

Aqua's face scrunched up while she gingerly repositioned her violated chest in the blindingly white dress.

"Take a seat here, Miss," one of the servants politely instructed as she pulled out a stool that sat in front of the dressing table.

While running her dainty fingers through her soft curls, the female Keyblade wielder approached the dressing table. As she gazed at her doppelganger in the mirror before her, she realized the fierce blush she had since she was mercilessly stripped in front of Terra was finally receding. Staring at her reflection, she noted she looked much paler than she should and she looked tired. Dark circles formed under her detached, bloodshot but still dazzling blue eyes. She looked like death. She barely recognized herself.

Cobalt orbs glanced away from her pitiful reflection into the mirror and noticed Terra sitting impassively behind her. His ruthless act had faded and he had repositioned himself now that she was facing the dressing table. The knight was now leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees while he rubbed his forehead with one of his gauntleted hands in exasperation.

_He looks almost as tired as I do,_ she mused.

The young woman peered back at her twin while the maids continued to tug and play with her hair. They grabbed a sparkling white hairpiece covered in diamonds and Aqua realized they were going to put her hair up.

"I don't like to wear my hair up," said Aqua as politely as she could, but there was still an edge to her tone.

"The Overlords and Elders will want to see your face," one of them answered as they proceeded to place her hair in a loose bun on the back of her head.

The housemaids adjusted her bangs in front of her face. After they fixed her bangs they began placing glittering jewels and diamonds into her sapphire hair.

The girl with brilliant cobalt eyes was then spun around and the servants began placing makeup on her face, especially on the darkening circles under her lifeless eyes.

All of the women agreed that Aqua did not need much makeup. She was a natural, exotic beauty and placing mounds of makeup on her would mar her inherited appeal. Instead they simply placed small amounts of mascara on her lengthy dark lashes, blush on her drained cheeks, and a clear gloss on her naturally pink lips.

Aqua was unexpectedly pulled to her feet and the women began to coat her exposed shoulders, legs, and arms in expensive shimmering lotions. She turned her nose up at the unnatural smell and began coughing as they began spraying her with ornate perfume. The sapphire maiden hated the smell. The thick overbearing fragrance of cherry blossoms now seeped off her skin. Aqua much preferred the more subtle smells of lavender and jasmine.

Aqua could not help but notice how much fun the servants were having dressing her up. To them, she was like an oversized unconventional doll with blue hair. Even the servants refused to treat her like a human being…

"Here are your shoes," the girl with jet-black hair offered as she knelt at Aqua's feet and slipped the snowy high heels on the her feet.

Aqua lifted her foot and inspected the heels skeptically. "I didn't even tell you what size I am..."

The shoes were bleached white with tiny silver flowers on the toes and diamonds lined the back of the heels. Aqua had never been placed in such extravagant attire before and quite frankly she wasn't sure how she felt about all of this. They Dark Realm had things like this to spare while Children of Light were lucky to have shoes at all.

"You don't have to. It is their job to know automatically," Larxene said and she approached Aqua.

"I guess she is ready. I did the best I could with what I had to work with," the seeress insulted, looking the radiant young woman up and down spitefully.

Terra rose to his feet. "So we can go now?"

"Mm hmm. We are finished here," Larxene stated and she snapped her fingers before she and the housemaids dispersed. "I will see you two later tonight."

Once they were left alone, the knight approached Aqua and peered down at her. It was the first time Terra had truly seen her. He had gazed at her many times but this was the first time he actually took her in.

She stood timidly in front of him chewing her glossy bottom lip. Her body was adorned in a strapless white dress that was short in the front but longer in the back. The front of the dress fell just above her knees while the back of the fabric cascaded to her muscular calves. Sheer fabric gathered at the garment's waist and rippled out as it covered the regular white cloth underneath.

Every inch of her exposed porcelain skin shimmered from the ointments that had been rubbed onto her flesh. Her skin had an ethereal sheen to it. Lengthy azure tresses had been clipped back into a loose bun on the back of her head while her bangs and two long strands of blue framed her gorgeous face.

Terra could not help himself. He could not stop thinking that she actually looked… _pretty_. The bronze warrior did not care for the sheen on her skin or the sparkling jewels they had placed throughout hair. No, what Terra actually thought was appealing was the girl underneath all the junk the servants had coated her in to broadcast that she was in fact a Child of Light. For some reason, it took them covering her in unnecessary glamour for him to notice her, truly notice her and she wasn't ugly.

The Dark Knight must have glared or looked at her thousands of times before, but for some reason, it never sunk in that she was actually attractive. It had to have crossed his mind at some point… How did he not notice earlier?

_Probably all the fighting and the fact that we are mortal enemies. She_ is _a Child of Light remember?_ he reminded himself.

The more he looked at the clutter they had placed on her, the more he realized it was to make her stick out like a sore thumb tonight. Terra could not remember the last time he had seen someone in Tarnen Palace wear white. It was to make a spectacle of her, to humiliate her. Her appearance screamed that she was the girl being rehabilitated and that she was the one to gang up on. At some point, they had even removed the bandages he had placed on her injured wrists to publicize his cruelty. Large, white targets had been placed upon all her vital organs.

Terra reached out to touch her. He had to feel her to make sure she was real. Aqua looked too much like an apparition just like she had in his bathroom. His gloved hand captured her fragile chin and forcefully angled her face up. The knight in ebony armor wanted her to regard at him.

Aqua's face did rise but her eyes were withdrawn and cold like they always were when she was forced to look directly at him. It was like she was incapable of looking into his eyes.

Gauntleted fingertips grazed and lightly caressed her chin and jaw as he held her head up. He could feel the natural chill of her ivory skin and he was reassured that she was real. Terra had not gone mad. Aqua was just…unique.

"I guess you will do," the Dark Knight stated harshly before he freed her chin.

* * *

Aqua's _protector_ had led her to the dinning hall and they stood quietly in front of the exquisite dual doors. Her sensitive ears could hear rowdy laughter and overlapping chatter behind the entryway and it made her stomach coil into tight knots. Silverware clinked and clattered and heavy footsteps sounded off the walls. Cobalt eyes nervously glanced over at the knight to her side.

Terra exhaled through his nose and opened one of the enormous doors for her. Her feet moved on their own volition as they made their way through the morbid doorway.

Instantly, all the blathering and chuckles ceased. Everyone in the room stared at her and began to whisper. Aqua held her head down and laced her fingers in front of her quivering stomach. The female Keyblade wielder could feel every single set of menacing eyes on her.

"Come on, Blue," Terra's strong voice sounded behind her and she instinctively glanced over her bare shoulder at him.

"The cannibals are starving for your flesh," he added before he mimicked a gentleman and offered her his armored arm.

The sapphire girl held back her desire to roll her eyes and looped her arm through his, taking extreme caution and making sure her that neither her hand nor her fingers caressed him in any manner.

As their feet glided over the vermillion carpet of the dining hall, the whispers and gossip grew louder again. Aqua cringed and squeezed her eyes shut as she subconsciously pulled Terra closer to her by his arm. Her body molded into his side and the knight placed his other warm hand on top of her forearm to calm her but it only caused her to jump.

The Keyblade Master could feel her nerves and he also knew that everyone in this room could smell her fear. She was like a bleeding guppy in a tank full of malnourished sharks.

A massive rectangular table with a white tablecloth was placed in the center of the luxurious dining rom. Expensive silverware and wine glasses were placed at every seat while elaborate rose bouquet was sat in the middle of the table as a centerpiece. Similar but larger bouquets were placed on small end tables in the corners of the room with coal-black walls.

Aqua wasn't surprised to see that Xehanort sat in the center of the table on the side that was facing the door. Xemnas sat to his left while Ansem sat to his right. Elders sat on the same side of the table as the Overlords while Dark Knights and the Seer Sages were scattered around the other side of the extraordinarily long table.

"Welcome Aqua, Terra," Xehanort said enthusiastically, spreading his arms flamboyantly as he rose from his seat to greet them.

"My Lord," Terra answered for both of them and inclined his head politely before leading Aqua to the empty chair directly in front of Lord Xehanort.

The bronze pulled the chair out for Aqua and she reluctantly took her seat. Once she situated her dress, Terra helped her properly push her chair closer to the table.

Aqua's fraudulent knight in shining armor took the empty seat to her left and angled his body toward hers as propped the length of his arm over the back of her chair. The Child of Light grimaced. His actions were not done out of affection, he was preparing to discipline her if necessary.

"She doesn't clean up half bad. Having her around might not be as bad as I thought," Vanitas chimed in from further down the table and Aqua was shocked to see him without his helmet for the first time. In fact all of the Dark Knights were not wearing their helmets, but their bodies were still adorned in their traditional armor.

After setting eyes on Vanitas's face for the first time, Aqua was not sure which was worse, Vanitas with or without his helmet. There was no contest when it came to Terra. She easily preferred Terra without his helmet on, but the more she looked at Vanitas the more she wished he were wearing his sleek helmet.

His ominous gold eyes glared right through her while his short, straight black hair barely hung over his threatening face. Unlike Terra, Vanitas always appeared frightening and dangerous. Aqua had noticed that her knight often turned his sinister side on and off depending on the situation. He wasn't incapable of acting like a person.

"Well, let us not be rude. Now that our guest of honor has arrived let us dig in. I am sure Aqua is famished," the bald Overlord announced as he vibrantly motioned for everyone to begin eating.

Everyone at the table began to get food off the silver platters and bowels except Aqua and Terra. The female keyblade wielder was so hungry that she wasn't hungry anymore and the knight to her left was too busy supervising her and her potential dishonorable actions to have an appetite.

"You have to be hungry, child," Xehanort said with faux kindness and concern before he began passing a plate of shrimp further down the table. "I am sure you have not eaten since you arrived last night."

It was true. Aqua had not eaten in over twenty-four hours but she had no appetite. This place and everyone in this room disgusted her. How could she possibly eat?

"At least eat some fruit," Terra quietly suggested as he nodded his head in the direction of a bowel full of bright, colorful fruit.

Her guardian may have been onto something. Aqua had no craving for the shrimp, turkey, ham, or any of the other countless forms of meat available, but the fruit did seem appealing. Perhaps she could keep it down.

"Terra you should eat too. I am sure dealing with poppet has been exhausting," Xigbar stated playfully from across the table after he took a big swig of red wine from his elegant glass.

"Probably too exhausting right, Terra? She must have been a _real_ handful. Those two did not get out of bed until late this afternoon," Marluxia mentioned suggestively with a smirk and everyone at the table chuckled except Roxas, Aqua, and Terra.

Aqua shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she timidly glanced down the table at Roxas. The young Dark Knight smiled warmly at her and mouthed, _'I'm sorry.'_

The young girl could not reply but she simply returned his warm smile before she continued to stare blankly at her empty plate.

"All joking aside; Xigbar is right, Terra. You need to eat and keep up your strength if you are going to properly watch over her," Xaldin suggested sternly and savagely took a chunk out of a chicken leg in a way that made Aqua's stomach roll.

"Yes, sir," Terra responded but he did not make a move for any of the food. He was sure it was only a matter of time before Aqua tried something.

"Oh, Aqua," Larxene called from further down their side of the table and Aqua's head rose before she meekly peered down at the seeress. " _That_ is Xaldin. The man in who was charge of the last rehabilitation subject."

The sapphire woman nodded and faintly smiled at the man with long dreads they called Xaldin. Her stomach lurched again as she remembered what Larxene had told her Xaldin had done. She could not stop from picturing some innocent girl on her back being stabbed through her hands, feet, head, and heart. The poor thing probably felt every blow until she was finally put out of her misery by receiving a lance through her heart.

After holding the uncomfortable eye contact with Xaldin for a moment, Aqua decided she would listen to Terra's suggestion, and try to have some fruit. Her hand left her lap and reached for an apple before an unfamiliar voice graced her ears.

"Nice bracelets," Axel teased from Terra's left and everyone's eyes instantly stuck to the shameful crimson accessories made out of her peeled rind.

"Thank you. Terra got them for me," she jabbed and glanced at Terra to make sure he heard her. The entire table had heard her. All chatter and gossip had come to an abrupt halt the instant Aqua uttered her first words and they had not been kind ones.

"Well, wasn't that nice of him," the feral looking man with red hair chuckled and patted the Terra's shoulders.

"If you are lucky, I will get you a necklace to match," the knight with dark brown hair threatened as he dug his fingers into the blackened wood of her chair. The vulnerable wood groaned and creaked from the pressure Terra applied to it.

The azure girl got the message and sat perfectly still.

"You are a lot feistier than your sister," Ansem took the next jab.

Aqua's eyes went wide as she heard the sinister man with long hair and dark orange eyes bait her.

"You do not appear to be nearly as cooperative as she was," Ansem added and plopped a grape into his mouth.

Cobalt eyes fell to her bleached lap as she simply held her uneaten apple in her petite hands.

"What have you done to Kairi?" she asked and fearlessly narrowed her eyes at Ansem.

While Ansem distracted Aqua, Terra had taken the opportunity to throw a chicken breast on his empty plate but he was quickly realizing he would likely not get the chance to eat it. Aqua was moments away from snapping.

"Children of Light are always so rude," Xemnas stated as if he was bored.

"You would know a lot about being rude," Aqua challenged and Terra's hand disappeared under the table before it took a permanent place on her leg just above her knee. It was a warning.

"Aqua, I am surprised at you. Didn't Eraqus teach you anything about manners?" Lord Xehanort asked darkly and Aqua couldn't help but glare at him for uttering her Master's name.

"He did, but I don't really think I should waste manners on the likes of you anymore," she countered and Terra's gentle touch on her leg turned into a death grip.

The surging pain was so sudden and so intense Aqua jumped off her chair and her legs slammed into the bottom of the hard table.

"I hope that with time you will change your mind, Aqua," Xehanort replied gently but his words sounded a great deal like a threat. "Perhaps one day you will offer us some of your respect."

The young woman was not going to answer until she felt ebony gauntlets tighten and threaten to create even bigger bruises on her already suffering leg.

"Okay!" she said a bit too loudly to be sincere, but they all knew that Terra was forcing her to be obedient. They did not care. Like with everything else, as long as they got the result they sought, how they got it did not matter.

"So tell us," the blonde Elder called Luxord said as he swirled his wine around in his clear glass. "What was it like being raised as an uncivilized savage?"

"I had a happy childhood after Master Eraqus took me in if that is what you are asking," Aqua answered emotionlessly as she finally took a small bite out of her apple.

"What happened to your birth parents?" Marluxia asked respectfully from the end of the table.

"My parents were killed in a Purge," Aqua replied as her eyes went distant and she wiped the apple's excess juice off her bottom lip.

Terra watched Aqua's sapphire eyes glaze over as she thought of her dead parents and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was she was remembering that would cause her eyes to go so dead.

"That does not surprise me," Lexeaus responded gruffly. "Many children are left orphaned at the hands of the Purge. Such is life."

"No, it's _our_ life. Not yours. Your people do not have to worry about things like the Purge," Aqua countered and Terra crushed her leg in his palm. She stifled a distressed yelp.

" _You_ wouldn't have to worry about the Purge either if you didn't defy us and supported the Dark Rule," Lord Xemnas argued as he contemptibly pointed a gloomy finger at Aqua.

"Same for your treacherous parents. It is their own fault they are dead. Their demise was no ones fault but their own," Ansem said harshly as he placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his laced fingers. "You know as well as they did that going against the Dark Rule is punishable by death and imprisonment. So let's not point fingers, shall we?"

"Yes, sir," Aqua answered immediately before Terra had the chance to abuse her leg anymore.

"You learn fast poppet." Xigbar gave a devious sneer. "There may be hope for you yet," he continued before taking another large swig of red wine causing the scarlet fluid to run down the corners of his mouth and dribble down his chin like blood.

* * *

"So how did your first night together _really_ go," Axel genuinely asked Terra as they escorted Aqua back to Terra's quarters.

Axel knew the man he regarded as a brother was capable of _a lot_ of heinous acts but taking advantage of someone as innocent looking as Aqua was not something he could picture Terra doing.

"I barely slept, but not because of what they were suggesting I did," Terra answered as he gently pulled a deadly quiet and slightly limping Aqua down the hallways by her elbow.

"She tossed, turned, and complained at least every other hour," he added as he used his free hand to rub his tired royal blue eyes.

"I am right here," Aqua complained from behind the duo.

"I know you are, Blue," Terra teased sarcastically while gazed back at her and flashed her his best taunting boyish smile.

The Keyblade wielder turned her nose up and defiantly looked in the opposite direction.

"No surprise there. She is definitely _spirited._ " Axel chuckled as he too peered back at the exotic girl.

"You have no idea," the brown-haired knight grumbled when they reached his massive door.

Aqua adamantly pried Terra's long fingers off of her ivory elbow and tried to make her way into his accommodations by herself but a lengthy slender arm adorned in black armor halted her advance.

Cobalt eyes slowly ran up the arm to the owner's face. It was Axel. Axel was one of the Dark Knights who came to the Land of Departure and helped capture Master Eraqus and Kairi. Aqua recognized his ebony armor trimmed with gold and green and his hood outlined in jade. Axel was the only Dark Knight that wore a silver and charcoal mask instead of a helmet.

_The fiery man must enjoy smiling at his victims,_ she thought spitefully.

"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" the tall and lean knight announced proudly as he pointed to his temple.

"Sure," Aqua answered blankly and faked a smile.

"Now that he has introduced himself, can I go in now?" she asked Terra sincerely.

"Just wait a minute. We are almost finished," the bronze knight answered. He did not want her or trust her in his room alone.

"Demyx is going to pitch in to help us pick up the slack in your, uh, absence," Axel stated and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"For the love of Darkness, Axel!" Terra complained as he roughly rubbed his temples.

Aqua repressed a chuckle and held her hand over her mouth. She had met Demyx at dinner and she could hardly believe someone who was that jumpy and that nervous was a Dark Knight.

"I know, I know," the red-haired knight said as he held his hands up defensively, "but hey, this will be good experience for him. Darkness knows he needs it."

"That is true. He spends way too much time playing in the prisons. Maybe he can gain some field experience and we can _actually_ start making use of him in the future," Terra mused as he ran one of his hands through his chocolate hair.

"Which also means that Vanitas will be substituting for you when you are not with us," Axel remarked as he placed a fist on his hip.

"Fuck," the earthen warrior hissed as he paced back and forth in the hallway.

"Whose _brilliant_ idea was that?" Terra roared as he frantically paced.

"The Court's," Axel stated flatly as his green eyes followed his irritated comrade.

Terra laughed much too loudly and boisterously for the laugh to be genuine. His laugh was full of bitterness and spite and it made Aqua's blood run cold.

"Of course it was!" he laughed viciously and threw his arms in the air.

"Fine. Whatever. If they want the beast to slaughter thousands of our people and to rape and pillage everything within an inch of its life, then fine," Terra spat venom as he spoke.

"Axel," he said lowly, placing his hands on Axel's shoulders. "Please, keep an eye on him. For me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. Someone has to keep him in line," Terra replied darkly before he let go of Axel's shoulders.

Terra turned to face Aqua and the door that led to his bedroom. "Okay, I guess we are about to _attempt_ to turn in."

"Fun, fun, fun," Axel stated sarcastically as he began heading down the scarlet hallway.

"I will see you around I guess," Terra mentioned as he put his hand on the golden doorknob of his door.

"You know it," the redhead called, pulling his hood over his fiery mane.

As soon as Terra opened the door Aqua, barged in and saw an old woman was in the elaborate room placing a silk nightgown on Terra's crimson bed.

Since Aqua seriously doubted the knight wore silk nightgowns to bed, she assumed this white gown was for her.

"Where are _my_ clothes?" she questioned the old hag as Terra made his way to his bathroom.

" _Your_ clothes were filthy and are still being washed," the gray-haired woman said from a mouth that Aqua was sure only contained about two teeth.

"I'm not wearing that," she protested as she pointed to the revealing garment.

"Larxene recommended it for you. Plus you do not have many options now, do you?" the elderly servant stated bluntly while she straightened out the wrinkles on the delicate gown.

Aqua crossed her arms and scowled at the article of clothing.

"Just waltzing in here acting like you are the Queen of the Dark Realm," the old woman mumbled to herself as she began picking up the pile of Terra's dirty clothes and placing them into a woven basket, "instead of the blasphemous and shameless peasant of Light that you are!"

The blue Keyblade wielder did not acknowledge the woman or her insults as the old hag continued grumbling incoherently and eventually exited the room.

As soon as the door shut, Aqua collapsed to her knees, wrapped her arms around her waist, and began to sob. She had once again reached her breaking point.

Terra heard the bizarre noises and found Aqua sitting on her knees, hunched over on the floor crying.

The knight suddenly realized had forgotten to take her Keyblade the night before and since she was already upset he might as well ask for it now.

"Give me your Keyblade," he demanded blankly.

"What?" Aqua asked between sobs as her head rose, tears cruelly streaking down her flawless cheeks while she stared at him with eyes full of sadness and bewilderment.

"You are no longer allowed to have your Keyblade. During yesterday's chaos I forgot to take it. Give it to me," Terra commanded coldly as he motioned with his hand for her to hand him the object he asked for.

"Fine! Take it! I don't need it anymore!" she yelled as she summoned Rainfell's charm to her hand and hurled it across the room at Terra, privately hoping that it would harm him in some way.

Her life was over. She would either become a monster in this place or she would die trying to escape. Either way she did not need Rainfell anymore. It wasn't like she could use it here anyway…

The charm hit the floor and slid across the carpet's surface until Terra stopped its advance with the heel of his metal boot. The knight knelt and gently picked up the charm before placing it in his pocket.

Aqua began to weep again as she tightly wrapped her thin arms around her sides as if she would fall apart the instant she released them.

Terra walked toward her and extended his hand in front of her.

"Come on," he spoke as gently as he knew how. "You should get ready for bed. I know all that junk they put on you can't be comfortable."

Timid and distant blue eyes glanced up at him. They darted back and forth between his face and his extended hand cynically.

Terra realized he was still wearing his gauntlets and he knew that they did not harbor the best memories for her so he quickly removed them. He offered her his hand again except this time he offered her his hand, not the Dark Knight's. He then took another step closer to her and waited for her to accept.

Aqua sighed and used the back of her hand to swat his offering away from her. She spitefully stood up on her own and Terra retracted his hand.

A foreign pang emerged in the knight's sternum. It tickled and lightly stung and Terra quickly cleared his throat to relieve himself of the unknown sensation.

As she made her way to the bathroom, porcelain hands reached behind her and removed the hair clip from her hair.

"Do I have to sleep in that?" she asked as she inclined her head in the direction of the obscene white slip and began shaking the diamonds out of her ocean like tresses.

"You don't have to but I would imagine it would be more comfortable than the dress you're in," Terra answered from the bedroom as he rested his back against one of the banisters of his canopy bed.

Water began to run as Aqua started vigorously rinsing the makeup and lotion off her face, neck, and shoulders. She threw some water into her mouth and swished it around a few times before spitting it back into the sink.

"I still don't completely understand why I have to stay with _you_ ," she snapped while she used a damp dishcloth to take some of the shimmering ointment off her arms and legs.

"Would you rather go across the hall and stay with Vanitas?" Terra challenged as he stormed into the bathroom. If you don't want to stay with me anymore, I am sure Vanitas would _love_ to have you in his bed."

Aqua spun around and shot him an icy glare but Terra merely smirked devilishly.

"I guarantee you he would not be nearly as gentle as I am," he purred suggestively into her ear as he faintly traced the outside of her arms with his fingertips for emphasis. Aqua couldn't repress or hide the shiver that racked her body when his hot breath wriggled into her ear canal and slithered down her vulnerable neck.

He was right and the cerulean girl knew he was right. She did not want to stay with Terra but things could be a lot worse.

"I get the point," she muttered as she pulled away from him and bolted back into the bedroom.

The Light Keyblade wielder could hear the clinking and clanging of armor and she knew Terra was removing his Dark Knight garb. Her eyes wandered to the white nightgown on the bloody bed and she gave it a dirty look.

"Hey!" she called.

"What?" he snapped and she heard armor clank onto the hard bathroom floor.

"I am going to change. Don't come in until I tell you to," Aqua commanded for a change.

She knew Terra had basically seen her naked today but she still had some dignity left.

_He didn't see_ all _of me._

The bronze warrior laughed. "Like you could keep me out if I wanted to come in!"

The sapphire maiden assumed that was as close to agreement as she would get and quickly threw the dress off over her head and swiftly slid the thin bleached garment onto her body.

"Are you decent?" Terra asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

It amused Aqua how he acted like he would bust in regardless, but he still asked for her permission. She grinned to herself.

"I guess," the Keyblade wielder answered as she gazed down at the revealing white slip with lacy trim around her breasts and the bottom of the garment.

_Fuck,_ Terra cursed inwardly when advanced into the bedroom.

Aqua looked pretty, again. In fact, she looked prettier at that moment than she did before dinner. She sat on her side of the bed with her ankles tucked daintily behind her with her hands placed elegantly in her lap. Her hair framed her face perfectly and cascaded below her bust.

Most of the glittery ointment was removed and now all that remained was her natural radiance. She looked beautiful, but more than anything, she looked sad. Her eyes were puffy and red, surrounded by dark circles while her lip quivered subtly.

Aqua closed her eyes to try to stop the tears that threatened to once again fall down her face. She had been degraded and humiliated all night and she had kept herself together through the entire ordeal, but now she was losing her control.

They insulted her as well as her deceased parents and they even suggested that they had done horrible things to Kairi. Her baby sister was in trouble and Aqua could not help her anymore than she could help herself…

The sound of Terra's armor being placed on his mannequin brought her out of her heartbreaking thoughts. Her guardian was back in his sleep attire except tonight his pants were gray.

Once he was finished, her weary blue eyes traveled to her throbbing leg. The pain was dull and potent and there would be a massive bruise on her leg the size of Terra's hand in the morning. She cringed and tried pulling her slip down lower to try to hide the injury as well as the soreness she felt.

Exhaling sharply, Aqua got under the covers and curled into a tight ball. Maybe she would be able to sleep tonight and if she was lucky, she might even be able to dream. A dream could be her escape. She couldn't physically leave tonight, but maybe her subconscious could and that might be enough to pacify her. It might be enough to keep her sane and to give her hope…

Terra crawled into bed next to her and began making their blanket barrier as he did the night before.

"You smell weird," Terra, complained when he laid his head on her pillow and wrapped his arms around her silk covered waist.

"It's that perfume they put on me," Aqua countered with a shaky voice. "If you don't like it, you shouldn't have let them put it on me."

Terra chuckled. "Good point. Next time, I will tell them not to put funny smelling perfume on you."

_I liked the way you smelled last night much more …_

Even though she smelled like cherry blossoms and not lavender like she did the night before, Terra still buried his face behind her neck and in her soft hair. The closer he got to the skin on her neck, the more he could still pick up faint traces of the soft scent of jasmine and lavender.

_Her scent,_ he thought to himself as his nose grazed the back of her porcelain neck.

She was crying again. He could feel her shuddering in his embrace and he could hear her muffled sniffles against the pillow but he could do nothing for her. He did not know how. Terra was not _that_ kind of knight. He was not a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Ok I am going to give a quick review. Terra, Axel, Vanitas, Demyx, Roxas, and Saïx are all Dark Knights. Xehanort, Xemnas, and Ansem are the Dark Overlords aka the High Elders. Meanwhile, Vexen, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Xigbar, and Luxord are all just Elders. Then, Marluxia, Zexion, and Larxene are the Seer Sages. Finally, the Overlords and the Elders make up the Court but that will be addressed more later. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Sour Sweetness

_Riku was outnumbered and he was getting tired._

" _What is the matter, half-baked?" Vanitas taunted as he slashed vigorously at Riku's torso, "losing steam?"_

_The macabre knight in red and black armor was right. Riku was losing steam. Normally, the Dark Keyblade Master could take one of these punks, but not both at the same time._

" _Not yet!" Riku yelled as he shot Dark Firaga at Vanitas's helmet._

_Vanitas used his Keyblade to fend off the carnivorous flames and hissed when some of the inferno singed his gloved hands and gauntlets._

_Riku was of the Dark Realm, but he had a hatred for Dark Knights that rivaled that of the Children of Light._

_Dark Knights gave Dark Keyblade Masters a bad name._

_Saïx leapt unnaturally into the air before violently hurling a Claymore to the ground Riku was standing on. The spikes of the Claymore dug into the ground an almost catch Riku's feet, causing him to stagger backwards._

_While Riku struggled for his footing, Vanitas lunged forward and sliced open Riku's abdomen as Saïx used the blunt edge of Claymore to knock Riku upside the head and into a nearby pile of barrels._

_All the air inside Riku's lungs made a violent retreat as his body cruelly slammed to the ground._

" _Damn it!" he yelled as he stumbled over the barrels and attempted to get back on his feet before the knights attack again._

" _Oh, Riku, you don't look so good!" Vanitas screeched as he rushed at him again, "I think you should lay back down!"_

_He saw the jagged edges of Vanitas's Keyblade closing in on his throat and he quickly ducked and brought his leg around to trip the crimson warrior._

_Vanitas fell over the appendage and crashed into a nearby wall._

_Ice blue eyes blinked rapidly and his vision started to muddle. Riku could taste blood as his hand gravitated to his carved stomach. Warmth spread through his glove and instantly, he knew he was losing blood. Lots of it, but he couldn't give up._

_Aqua. He had to help Aqua._

_Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Riku tried to rid his mouth of the tart, bitter taste before choosing to charge at Saïx. Their weapons collided and he rapidly retracted his Keyblade again to attempt to smash the knight's head in. Saïx quickly held Claymore over his head to deaden the blast, but the force was quick and unexpected and one of Saïx's knees buckled._

_The Dark Keyblade Master swiftly kicked in Saix's other knee before using the end of his Keyblade to bash in his helmet's jaw. A muffled groan emerged from inside the helmet before Saïx fell to his back and writhed on the ground in pain._

" _Aqua!" Riku cried for his friend as loud as he could, running in the direction he saw Terra chasing her into._

_Before Riku could get out of the alleyway, a sharp intense pain grew at the back of his skull. The Keyblade Master reeled backward into a wall and instinctively touched the back of his head before plummeting to his knees and collapsing onto the ground._

_Cobblestone briefly filled his perspective before his whole world turned black._

* * *

The sound of crackling flames and popping firewood violated Riku's ears and caused him to stir. His body twitched and his conscious slowly roused.

"Where?" he questioned softly as his pale blue eyes opened.

Riku was not lying facedown in a pool of his own blood within the alleyway like he expected himself to be. He was in someone's home. Scanning his surroundings, he realized it was a quant little one room country house with a sizable fireplace and tacky floral wallpaper.

_Aqua. They took Aqua,_ his mind cried.

"Aqua!" Riku called, his voice raspy and rough as he rose to his uncoordinated feet.

He stumbled and staggered around the bed before crashing into a nearby end table and falling to the ground, taking the tablecloth and vase that sat upon the table down with him.

"Dear, help! He is up!" a foreign, elderly voice called as warm hands pulled him up by his shoulders.

"Aqua. I need to find Aqua," Riku mumbled incoherently to the voice although he had no way of knowing if they could help or if they even knew what the hell he was talking about.

"Honey, I am afraid I don't know anyone by that name," the feminine voice assured him as he was rolled onto his back.

Riku's eyes fluttered open and an aging woman with liver spots and kind green eyes greeted him.

"Do you remember who did this to you?" a male voice entered the room. Before Riku could process that there was more than one person there, an elderly man knelt down beside the woman and handed her a damp cloth.

The old woman placed the cloth tenderly on Riku's pulsating head and began trying to rub the pain away.

"Vanitas…and…Saïx," Riku muttered as his head finally stopped swimming.

"The Dark Knights who were here, huh? Figures," the man hissed scornfully as he rubbed his receding hairline.

"You have been unconscious for two days. We weren't sure if you would ever wake up," the aging lady explained tenderly as she continued to rub the cool cloth over Riku's violated head.

_Shit! Two whole days! No!_

Riku brushed the cloth and her hand away as he clumsily sat up and wobbled to his feet. "I have been here too long. I have to go. They will… They will kill her…"

His head was absolutely pounding and he could not see or think straight but he could not stop lurching toward the quant cottage's front door.

"Boy, I hate to break it to you but you are not going anywhere with that kind of head injury," the man heeded while he helped his wife to her feet.

The silver-haired young man leaned drunkenly against the nearest wall. "I will…just…just give me a minute."

"If I can make a suggestion," the gray-haired woman said softly as she brushed off her lacy apron, "you might stand a better chance of finding whoever it is you're looking for if you have more strength."

"Besides, if you are talking about the girl with blue hair she is long gone. The Dark Knights who came to town took off with her days ago. So whatever they were going to do with her, they have probably already done it," the balding man stated and crossed his arms.

"I-I need…I need to…go to…the Land of Departure… Ventus," Riku continued to ramble to himself as he pressed his head to the wall he was propped up against.

The longer the Keyblade Master leaned against the wall plastered with graphic, floral wallpaper, the more he realized that the elderly couple was making good points. His senses were slowly returning and he realized he _was_ being a bit irrational. Waking up in a strange place without Aqua had sent him into a frenzy. He knew the bastards had taken her, but he had no idea where she could be. If he had been unconscious for two days, he would have no way of tracking her. Not now. Aqua was just as lost as Kairi was.

"Okay…I may need to stay here a bit longer…until my strength returns," Riku stated and cleared his dry throat. "If that is alright with you?"

"Of course!" the woman cried excitedly as she bobbed into her kitchen to begin making a meal. "You stay as long as you need to!"

"As soon as I am able, I will get out of your hair," the young man announced as he gracelessly hobbled back to the bed.

"You're no trouble," the old man replied and poured Riku a glass of water. "It's nice having young blood back in this house."

Riku sat back on the bed and held his throbbing head in his hands. He definitely was in no condition to go to the Land of Departure with this concussion. Riku would have to wait a few days before he would be able to travel and it would take even longer to actually arrive in the Land of Departure even with Aqua's chocobo.

Once he was able to get to the Land of Departure, he was sure that he and Ventus could come up with a plan to find Aqua. Riku needed his help. He could not do this on his own. The odds were against them but he knew that if he banded with Ventus and maybe his sisters, they stood a much better chance.

_Aqua, I am sorry but it may take us a while to find you. But I promise I will do everything I can. Just have faith in us…I am so sorry I could not protect you…but maybe I_ **can** _save you…_

* * *

When Aqua woke, she did not feel Terra's encasement around her. She didn't feel his breath on her neck or his body pressed flush against her from behind.

_Is he gone?_

Her head bounced up and she felt a somewhat familiar pressure on the bed next to her. Timidly, she rolled over the face his side of the bed.

The Dark Knight was already awake. Terra was sitting upright in bed with his back against the headboard and his arms crossed tightly over his sturdy, tanned chest. His midnight blue eyes glanced down at her when he felt her movement.

"Good morning, bluebird," he greeted her solemnly and gave her a charming half-smile.

The young woman almost grinned back as she lied on her stomach and gazed up at him.

Bluebird? Was that what he was going to call her now? She didn't expect him to call her by name. He had repeatedly refused to do so although she was pretty sure he did know her name but bluebird? The irony of it was that she thought it appropriate. She did feel like a bird. A helpless little bird locked in a cage

"Good morning," she eventually responded as she shook her untidy hair. She was sure her hair was an utter mess; still full of hair products and glitter…

_Not that it matters..._ she mused.

"The old servant hag brought your clothes back," Terra said and pointed to her neatly folded clothes on his wooden desk.

"Good. I was tired of all the formal garb," Aqua scoffed as she wiped some of the glittery lotion from the day before off her forearm.

"I had them to bring you breakfast too," the knight stated as he got out of bed. "Your, uh, _lessons_ start today so you need to eat something."

Terra wandered across the room to his dresser, grabbed the tray full of food, and placed it at Aqua's feet.

"I'm not hungry," she objected as she sat up and glanced indifferently at the platter.

"Bullshit," Terra countered firmly and glared at her.

"Eat," he repeated and placed the tray on her lap.

Almost instantly, she shoved the tray off her lap and into the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" the Dark Knight bellowed as he kicked one of the plates violently into the wall next to the bed.

"Fine! Don't eat!" he snarled as he placed his hands on both sides of her legs and leaned toward her. "I hope you starve to death! Because if you're dead, I won't have to deal with you anymore!"

"I'm sorry!" Aqua yelled and mimicked Terra's actions, leaning toward him fearlessly until they were merely a breath apart. "I am just so sick of you _always_ forcing things on me!"

Aqua was not a rude or spiteful person, but this place and these people had turned her into one and she despised it. She hadn't even been there that long and she was already changing… Was there something to this rehabilitation they spoke of after all? Could they change her? Mold her to their liking?

Terra's features instantly softened. That was the first time she had ever spoken any form of an apology to him and he was taken back. He just didn't see it coming.

After holding her gaze for a long moment, he exhaled softly through his mouth.

"Just…get ready for your lesson," Terra groaned softly before standing upright and pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Okay," she whispered meekly before getting out of the bed and trying to avoid all the broken glass scattered along the floor.

Terra resisted the urge to pick her up and help her across the hazardous floor. It was her fault it was there in the first place and he refused to aid her, but that fact didn't completely diffuse the need bubbling inside him to help her.

Aqua made her way to the mahogany desk across the room and took her clean clothes off its slick surface.

"Can I go in the bathroom to get dressed?" the blue-haired young woman asked politely as she placed a hand on the bathroom door.

"Sure. Whatever. Just don't break anything else," Terra grumbled and began pulling pieces of dark armor onto his sun-kissed skin.

Aqua dressed quickly despite the fact that she was not looking forward to her _lesson_ at all, but she was eager to get out of Terra's room.

The Keyblade Master was still dressing when Aqua emerged from the bathroom so she took a seat on top of his desk and watched him adorn his body in darkness. She could not imagine having to put on that much armor on every day. It had to be heavy and it was probably hot.

Aqua preferred light, loose-fitting clothes that allow her to move freely or clothes that were tight enough that they would not inhibit her movements. She did not like being limited by the clothes she wore.

"Should I clean all that up?" the sapphire Keyblade wielder asked as she pointed to all the glass and food on the carpet.

Broken plates and splintered cups lined the floor while spilled juice and bits of food were scattered everywhere, even under Terra's bed.

"Don't worry about it. Someone will come in and clean it up," the knight responded while straightening his gold and black gauntlets.

The cerulean maiden could not help but notice that Terra spoke like being picked up after was an everyday occurrence that he had grown accustomed to.

"How long have you been here?" she genuinely asked as she picked up one of the key shaped paperweights on Terra's desk.

"Always," he answered curtly and positioned his shadowy cape on his broad shoulders, "I wasn't born here but I was raised here."

"Did… Did you know your birth parents?" Aqua asked hesitantly as she put the golden key down and began fidgeting with her fingertips.

"No. This is the only life I have ever known. It is all I remember. I was just a baby when they took me in," Terra explained bluntly as he knelt and adjusted the massive straps on his metal boots.

"Kairi doesn't remember our parents either… She was too young t-" she interrupted herself. Aqua was suddenly very unsure of why she was talking to Terra about all this. Why on earth was she having a conversation with… _him?_

Terra heard Aqua mention her sister, he glanced over his shoulder at her. It was the first time she had mentioned anything personal directly to him.

Their eyes locked and the perpetual resentment in Aqua's cerulean eyes temporarily diminished.

"Terra," she whispered softly.

Her tongue gently caressed every single syllable of his name as they fell from her pink lips. She spoke his name with sincerity and respect. Aqua did not utter his name in the degrading manner that he spat her unwanted nickname. She had treated his name kindly and spoke it with warmth despite the hatred she felt for the man who bore the name.

"Do you know what they have done to my sister? Do you know where she is?" Aqua asked him as kindly as she could even though she knew deep down in her heart that he would never answer her.

Terra walked to his nightstand and picked up his new helmet. The new helmet was identical to the one Aqua broke.

He bowed his head and slid the helmet over his features.

"Ready?" a muffled distorted version of Terra's voice asked, completely ignoring her question.

"I like you better with it off," Aqua blurted out without thinking as she slid off the desk.

"Sorry. I'm on duty. Can't take it off." he shrugged. "But hey, if you're lucky, you might get a chance to break this one too."

* * *

Terra led Aqua through the winding blood-red corridors of the palace and she was disappointed when they didn't venture outside. Unfortunately, he was only taking her further and further into this gigantic, gloomy mansion.

Outside the oversized windows she could see that it was a beautiful summer day outside. She longed to stretch her arms up towards the sun, soak up its reviving rays, and listen to the birds sing. She longed for it so much she wouldn't even mind sharing the moment with Terra as long as it meant she could go outside…

"You are meeting with Lexaeus today," the knight announced as Aqua walked silently next to him

"Yes, the lovely man who spoke _so_ kindly of my parents last night," Aqua said sarcastically as she watched the guards, maids, and servants laugh and gossip among themselves. "Can't wait to see him again."

"I will not accompany you inside. I am merely handing you off. Once you are inside, you are Lexaeus's problem. Understand?" he asked and knocked on one of the many large doors within the hallway.

"I understand," she answered as she ran her pale fingers through her azure bangs.

"Good girl," Terra teased as the door slowly opened.

"Good morning, Terra, Aqua," the large man with curly maroon hair greeted emotionlessly.

"I will be back for her later," Terra responded and tenderly placed an armored hand on Aqua's back, nudging her into the room.

The room was massive with high ceilings and enormous bookshelves filled to capacity with books, journals, and reports lined every single wall. The room likely some form of library or study, possibly even Lexaues's study.

As Aqua's eyes wandered around the space she saw that the seer, Zexion, was within the room as well. He sat at a small round table with his nose buried deep inside a huge inky book. He rested his chin on his knuckles while his long silvery hair covered the entire right side of his face.

The thought of being alone in this room with these two for untold amounts of time made Aqua nervous. Suddenly, she was hit by an unexpected realization; she didn't want Terra to leave her...

Aqua couldn't stand Terra, but he was the only constant she had there. She didn't like Terra but she did like him more than the two men he was about to leave her with.

"When will you be back?" she quickly asked her knight as he turned to depart.

Before he could get too far, Aqua quickly grabbed his cape and pulled him back toward her.

The warrior grunted and staggered slightly before peering back at her from within his helmet

"When you are finished," he replied coldly and wretched his cape out of her hands.

"But when will that be?" Aqua probed again and she followed him out of the door, his cape still firmly in her hands.

Just as she was about to run in front of Terra to stop him from abandoning her, Lexeaus placed a large hand on her shoulder and reeled her backward. "Do not worry yourself with such pointless details. He said he would return for you later, did he not?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back." Terra lightly chuckled as he began walking down the endless bloodstained corridor, his cape billowing wildly behind him. "I'll always be back."

* * *

It was twilight before Lexeaus and Zexion stopped ruthlessly drilling the Dark Realm's history into Aqua's head.

Aqua was entertained by the fact that these books, Lexaues, and Zexion made it seem as though the Dark Rule was the greatest thing to ever occur and that the Era of Light was a horrible time for everyone.

She knew better. Master Eraqus had told her of the time of peace and balance before the war. Her Master told her how wonderful it was. How the invisible shackles of the Dark Rule did not chain people. Everyone lived together peacefully. Dark and Light Keyblade bearers worked together to protect the things that mattered to them. Their abilities and whether they were touched by Light or kissed by Darkness did not segregate them. Light and Darkness coexisted. One could not exist without the other.

Xehanort and Master Eraqus had even been friends. They had the same Master and had been raised like brothers but jealousy, rivalry, and differences in beliefs and opinions eventually drew them apart. It drew _everyone_ apart to the point of war. The Denizens of Light began accusing the Dark Realm of being harsh, calamitous, and immoral. They felt their powers were hazardous and could easily become corrupt and dangerous, while the Dark Realm felt that they were wronged, abused, and misjudged. They envied those blessed by the Light. They wished to prove their might, and to show the Denizens of Light that they were just as capable, just, and deserving as they were. And they did. They declared war on the Denizens of Light and the Great War was born.

When the war ended and the Dark Realm won, negotiations were made. The former world council known as the Unified Republic was dissolved and replaced by the Dark Rule. Denizens of Light were given no place or voice in the new world council; such were the terms of their surrender. They were silenced, outcast, and branded as failures and traitors. Even their neutral land was taken from them and reclaimed for the Dark Realm until almost the entire world was either occupied or owned by the Dark Realm.

After that the Denizens of Light were renamed Children of Light, those who lost the war, those who had no place or right to the new world. However, the name change was only the beginning of the oppression the Children of Light would receive. First, it was a new name, then the imprisonment of those that fought against the Dark Realm in the Great War, and shortly after that, the Purge was created. The Purge was able to imprison and execute Children of Light, supposed resistance members, actual resistance members, anyone who helped a Child of Light or anyone who did anything the Dark Rule didn't approve of. In reality, the Dark Rule did not necessarily need a good reason to Purge someone. If they wanted them Purged, they would be Purged.

And now the Seer Sages were gaining more inhuman abilities that allowed them to see even more potential futures and see even farther in the future. That was why Kairi was in prison and why Aqua was in Hollow Bastion being rehabilitated, because of what they could do and how they could damage the Dark Rule's plans for the future.

_Whatever that means. I don't see what two girls could possibly do. Then again, I am not a Seer Sage,_ Aqua thought to herself.

"Where is that boy?" Lexeaus griped as he looked out of the giant bay window Aqua was sitting on within the study.

Zexion placed a hand on his chin. "Knowing Terra he likely ran off to another city, nation, or province with his fellow Dark Knights."

"Did he tell you what his duties were for today?" the seer addressed the maiden sitting on the windowsill gazing out at the buzzing city.

Aqua did her best to quell her impulse to scoff.

_Terra doesn't tell me anything. He just yells at me and tells me what to do,_ she mused.

The cerulean girl shook her head. "No he did not mention anything to me."

"Come on in, Roxas," Zexion called long before a knock ever fell upon the door.

"You could at least let me knock for the fun of it," Roxas teased as he entered room.

"It is not necessary. I saw you coming," the Seer Sage explained and turned the page in his book.

Aqua shivered. The Elders and Overlords were foreboding enough, but something about the seers and their unnatural abilities to predict the future unnerved her. She also had a sneaking suspicion that they had other abilities she knew nothing of…yet.

"Hi, Aqua," Roxas called as he clumsily sat at one of the rounded tables in the center of the room.

"Hello, Roxas," Aqua greeted warmly while the kind knight removed his helmet and tossed it onto the table.

"Have you seen Terra?" Lexeaus asked as he again peered into the hallway, searching for the man in question.

"Hmmm. Not since this morning. Why?" Roxas said and propped his metal feet up on the book covered table.

"Aqua is finished with her lesson for today. It is time for her to be escorted back to her quarters but Terra has not come to receive her yet," the Elder explained, intersecting his arms over his thick chest as he spoke.

"Roxas, must you always be such a savage?" Zexion complained as he swatted Roxas's booted feet off the table with his book.

"He is a Dark Knight. Manners are not required for his line of work," Lexeaus grumbled.

"Says the former Dark Knight," Roxas challenged playfully as he placed his feet back on the ground.

"Why are you here?" Zexion asked irritably before put away one book only pull out another.

"I am playing delivery boy. Lord Xemnas said he asked you for a book. He wanted me to come see you and ask if you had the book for him. So just give me the book and I will be on my way," Roxas stated and began shining the front of his helmet with his elbow.

"Yes. Give me a moment," the seer said and marched to a bookshelf across the room.

"Hey, I can take Aqua back to Tarnen since Terra isn't here to take her," Roxas offered politely and smiled over at Aqua.

"She is not your responsibility," the Elder with deep red hair snapped. "She is Terra's."

"I know that," the blonde-haired Keyblade Master huffed.

"Well in that case, I can take her to go look for him," he quickly added as he stood.

"Just let him take her," Zexion stated blankly as he handed Roxas the olive-colored book for Xemnas. "He obviously wants to. Besides, no harm will come from it."

"Fine," Lexeaus complied and Aqua could tell if he surrendered because he trusted the Seer Sage or if it was because he was tired of arguing with the young knight.

"Alright, then!" Roxas said excitedly as he clapped his hands together. "Ready, Aqua?"

"Yeah," Aqua answered quietly as she rose to her feet and straightened her sash that had wrinkled while she sat in the windowsill.

The dual Keyblade Master opened the door for his newly acquired companion but she hesitated.

"W-will Terra get mad?" Aqua asked as she contemplated the potential consequences of leaving with someone who wasn't her assigned caretaker.

"Probably," he replied honestly as he shut the door behind her, "but I will take the heat for you."

Roxas grinned widely and gave her a playful wink.

Aqua chuckled fearfully. "Okay, if you say so."

"You're welcome," the blonde boy stated arrogantly.

"For?" she questioned as they made their way out of the palace and into the city toward the Central Square.

"For saving you from Zexion and Lexeaus. You looked like you were bored to tears," Roxas said as he situated his helmet under his arm.

"You have no idea," she remarked as her stomach growled loudly. Instinctively, she used her hands to try to muffle the sound.

"You hungry?" he asked with skeptical blue eyes.

"Starving," she admitted, her face flushed.

"Come on. I will get you something to eat," the friendly warrior responded as he walked further into the town toward one of the many stores that doubled as restaurants.

"I thought we were going to look for Terra," Aqua pointed out before she stopped walking. She was suddenly feeling timid, hesitant, and unsure again.

"We can make a few pit stops. He will understand. You have to eat," Roxas explained casually as he leaned over the counter and began ordering food for them.

Aqua was not so sure that Terra would understand. Their most recent argument had been about food and her refusing to eat. Roxas had not seen Terra blow up that morning. He didn't see how angry he got and she was afraid to see how angry he would be to see her accepting food from Roxas. Terra probably wanted to starve her for a few days as punishment…

* * *

Despite Aqua's hesitance, Roxas had successfully convinced her to venture out of the palace and into the town where they ate a meal together.

Aqua was glad she had followed his lead. It was a beautiful summer day outside and she needed the fresh air. She had missed being outdoors. Not to mention, she was going mad inside that castle and being outside was doing wonders.

Birds were singing and even the wind was cool despite the harsh rays of sunlight. For the first time since her capture, Aqua was able to find a moment of tranquility, comfort, peace, and almost contentment.

Roxas was even giving her space. He mumbled something about going to get them desert and left her alone under one of the many trees that lined the lovely Center Square. Her legs dangled over the ledge while a small waterfall streamed from the wall of the ledge near her feet. Dreamily, she stared at the beautiful shades of yellow, pink, and red that scampered through the flowerbed in front of her.

The Keyblade wielder listened to the serene rhythm of the water flowing from the wall beneath her and for a moment, she actually forgot she was in the Dark Capital.

Children laughed and played in the flowerbeds in the square and threw water from the fountains at each other. It reminded her of how she and her foster siblings would play in the Land of Departure.

Aqua's lips curved into a small smile.

She had been given freedom and she had gotten out of that dreadful palace. Aqua was feeling better than she had in days. Cobalt orbs closed and she inhaled deeply and took in the magnificent smell of orchids, tulips, and many other varieties of blossoms she did not recognize. The sound of water…the sound of her now foreign element in liquid form calmed her fried and butchered nerves despite the alienation and detachment she felt inside.

"I think you have earned the icing on the cake," Roxas announced as he handed her a baby blue bar of ice cream.

"Ice cream?" she questioned lightheartedly. Aqua was feeling more like herself and she was actually being somewhat playful, which surprised her.

"Sea salt ice cream! It's good! Try it!" he cried like an excited child and nudged her elbow before taking a seat beside her.

The blue-haired young woman giggled before taking a small bite out of the ice cream bar. It was salty at first but it eventually turned sweet.

"Why can't you be my _guardian_?" Aqua asked dejectedly as she licked off some of the excess fluid from the melting delicacy off her knuckle.

The powerful sun was setting but the ice cream was still struggling to stay frozen in the midsummer climate. If Aqua's magic was not stifled, she could easily keep the frozen treat from melting but her magic was stifled…

"I am way too laid back," Roxas admitted before taking a bite out of his ice cream, "if it was left up to me, you would be running around everywhere on your own."

"You are too nice I guess," she replied as she looked down at the decorative flowerbed before them.

"Terra can be nice too. He just needs time to warm up to people," the dual Keyblade Master defended his old friend but he could see the resentment burning behind her bright blue eyes.

"That is easy for you to say. You don't know him the way that I do," she countered sharply.

"And you don't know him the way that I do," Roxas argued gently as Aqua's sea salt ice cream bar continued to melt down her fingers.

Roxas had a point, but it also did not change her personal opinion of the bronze knight. It didn't change how she felt, it didn't heal the cavernous wounds on her wrists, it didn't undo what had been said and done.

"Think of Terra as Sea Salt Ice Cream," the knight mused and pointed to her melting treat, "he can be pretty bitter and salty but he can also be sweet if you give him the chance."

Roxas's analogy was childish and clichéd, but she got the idea. Aqua didn't necessarily want to give him a chance, but it couldn't hurt. She knew that she liked Terra a lot better when he treated her kindly, maybe he could appreciate her kindness as well. It was just so hard for her to think of him as a person who actually harbored feelings, but it was worth a shot if it meant he would be nicer to her in return.

Suddenly, the tranquility of their evening was disrupted when a colossal metal boot crashed into Roxas's back and shoved him face first into the flowerbed in front of them.

"Whoa!" Roxas cried as he plummeted to the ground, his thick armor permanently marring the lovely flowerbed with thick brown streaks where the blossoms had been unearthed.

Aqua gasped and held her free hand up to her mouth.

"What the fuck, Roxas?" a powerful masculine voice sounded behind her. Aqua hated how easy it was for her to recognize that brawny voice even with a helmet on.

Aqua and Roxas had not found Terra. _He_ had found them.

Roxas spat flower petals and stems out of his mouth. "You were late…and she…was hungry…and bored," the younger knight muttered in between spits.

"So!" Terra challenged angrily. "She was supposed to wait _there_!"

"Zexion and Lexeaus said it was fine if I took her," Roxas argued as got back to his feet, mangling more colorful flowers as he positioned himself upright.

"I don't give a fuck!" Terra roared. "I thought she had run off!"

"I didn't," Aqua finally gained the courage to speak. "I did exactly what I was supposed to. _You_ were the one who was late."

"Look," Terra said calmly, his tone instantly changing the moment Aqua spoke to him, "I didn't see anyone in the room. I thought the worst. Next time please just stay put."

Terra exhaled harshly through his mouth before taking Roxas's place next to Aqua.

"So how did her first day go?" he questioned, "Did Lexeaus and Zexion complain any?"

"Nope," Roxas replied and crossed his arms. "They actually seemed pretty content with her in there."

_Apparently Aqua behaves for everyone when I'm not around…_ Terra huffed inwardly, _She even ate for sweet little Roxas._

"Is that true?" Terra inquired and glanced at Aqua.

"I was good. I promise," she replied gently while refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Where were you?" she questioned while licking the dripping fluid of the edges of her desert.

"Don't worry about it," Terra snapped as he reclined slightly on the ledge.

"Finish up your ice cream then we will head back," Terra stated as he peered at the ice cream in her hand, "And since I ruined yours Roxas, I guess I will go buy you another one."

* * *

"What is my name…again?" Kairi asked weakly, her voice dry and rough.

_It starts with…a 'K', right? Or maybe a 'C'… Cari? Kori? I…I-I can't remember…!_

"Your name is Kairi," the bald man with beady orange eyes reassured her.

"And…this is…a prison?" Kairi asked him again.

"Indeed," he replied and placed his hands behind his back, the leather of his apparel creaking as he moved.

"Why…why am I in a prison? Aren't…aren't prisons…bad?" the redheaded girl questioned and squeezed her pounding head with both hands.

"Yes, but this prison is your sanctuary. We brought you here to protect you from those who wish you harm," Lord Xehanort explained deceitfully with faux kindness.

"Harm…" Kairi repeated somberly, her once sparkling blue eyes indifferent, distant, and empty.

"Yes there are bad, _evil_ people looking for you. They wish to take you away from me," Xehanort exaggerated sadly and placed a withering hand over his heart.

"We had to bring you here so they would never find you. They have already hurt you so. That is why we have to give you shots and medicine everyday. My poor Kairi, they have made you so sick," the menacing old man lied as he rubbed his eyes in mock sorrow.

"I-I'm sick?" the young girl disputed as she scratched at the massive, gruesome and bulbous lacerations that covered the entire underside of her forearms.

The abrasions hurt and itched and slithered through the tender veins in her arms. It appeared as though someone had been driving hot pokers up her arms.

"They gave you a horrible almost incurable disease but we are doing all that we can do help you. I did all I could to hide you from the wicked, White Witch and her underlings but I am afraid this prison is the only place where you are safe from her and her heinous sorcery," Lord Xehanort misinformed again before he knelt down and ran his fingers through her vibrant hair.

"Family?" the bewildered girl asked as she touched his arm.

She had a vague memory of the word. She could not exactly remember what it meant but she knew it was important.

"Yes. You have a large family. You have many brothers and uncles," the Overlord said proudly as he gently cupped her face.

"Saïx is one of your many brothers," Xehanort continued as he pointed to Sax who stood stoically in the dark corner of the prison cell.

"Sis… Sister?" Kairi inquired and mindlessly rubbed her hands together.

_Blue. Lots of blue._

Kairi closed her eyes tightly and chased the fleeting memory. She wrestled with the back of her mind and scrambled to put all the quickly vanishing pieces together, but she could never make sense of them. They were fading too fast. Most of the chunks of the puzzle were gone and the ones that remained dissolved and slid through her fingers like sand. The remaining puzzle bits did not make sense without the others and Kairi could not make a full picture.

"Yes, you have a sister too. Her name is Larxene," the manipulative man replied.

"Blue… She has…blue hair?" the girl guessed as she touched her own cherry-colored tresses.

She could see what appeared to be azure hair but she couldn't see her face. The blue woman was blurred and muddled and like everything else that inhabited her mind, she too eventually evaporated.

"No, no, no," Xehanort shook his hand impassively. "Your sister has short blonde hair. That White Witch is the only menace I know of with blue locks."

Kairi nodded emotionlessly as she tried to cover the irritated vertical serpent like scars that wriggled up her arm with the sleeves of her black garment.

When Kairi turned mute and stopped asking questions, Xehanort rose to his feet and approached Saïx.

"I want you to go back home and I want you to get Vexen to mix up more magic suppressant for Kairi. And I do not mean the weak shit he gave Aqua. I want Kairi's magic permanently extinguished," Lord Xehanort commanded as he glanced over his shoulder at Kairi.

"Yes, my Lord," Saïx responded with a partial bow.

"And make sure he sends the longest needles he has back with you. I want to be thorough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Waking Dream

"Take that thing off," Aqua commanded the instant she and Terra entered his luxurious room.

"You could at least say please," the Dark Knight complained, crossing his arms and waiting for her to ask again.

"If I say please will you take it off?" she questioned while she placed her arms behind her back and strolled around the lavish crimson room.

"Maybe." he shrugged mischievously and his armor rattled. "Try it and find out."

"Terra." Aqua twirled gracefully on her heels. "Will you please remove your helmet?"

"Yes, my lady," the knight answered spitefully before he removed the faceless headgear.

Terra shook his head back and forth and ran his hands through his unkempt dark hair.

"Did you have fun frolicking with Roxas today?" he spat as he carelessly tossed the helmet onto his bed.

"I did actually," Aqua confessed as she walked into tremendous bathroom.

The Dark Keyblade Master rolled his eyes and silently followed her into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked while leaning casually in the doorway and watching her with sharp eyes.

"I am going to take a shower," she answered and pulled the scarlet shower curtain back.

A low growl erupted from Terra's throat as he grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the shower and back toward him.

Aqua plummeted into his plated chest and she quickly used her free arm to push herself away from him, but the knight's grip on her arm did not waver. He continued to hold her to him.

Terra had lost his cool. Hanging around Roxas all day have given Aqua… _ideas_ and he was not going to tolerate the leniency anymore. The fiery young woman needed to be reeled back in.

Holding her arm securely front of him, he stared harshly down at her, causing her to squirm and rest her free forearm on his chest.

"Did I say you could take a shower?" he asked in a low threatening tone and squeezed her forearm until she winced.

"I didn't ask," she countered and looked up at him. She refused to gaze directly at him so she focused on a random spot on his neck instead. Cobalt colored orbs stared blankly at his throbbing pulse. Silently, she watched the major artery pump blood throughout his large body while she waited for him to release her.

He was too close to her and it was making her uncomfortable and almost nauseous. She could feel the warmth of his coarse hand and she could feel his chest rising and falling with each powerful breath he took against her arm. Aqua could almost feel his thundering heartbeat banging against the protective covering that separated them.

"Just because Roxas let you carelessly run around today doesn't mean that I will," Terra snarled and leaned down toward her face. He was trying to get her attention, trying to catch her eye. It was getting harder and harder for him to tolerate the vacant appearance of her eyes whenever he spoke to her.

"Let me go," she whimpered softly as she pulled away from him and applied more pressure to his broad chest with the arm he did not possess.

"So don't go getting any ideas," the warrior warned and threw her arm back at her so hard she stumbled backward. "There is a reason Roxas was not assigned to you."

"It wouldn't kill you to be more like Roxas!" Aqua challenged as she fearlessly chased Terra back into his bedroom.

"Don't ask me to be Roxas!" h roared as he whirled around to face her.

"I am not asking you to be Roxas, Terra! I am asking you to be nice!" the young woman clarified.

Terra's eyes widened. He was not expecting that kind of reaction. She had surprised him. Again.

_Nice?_ he mocked in his head.

"Do you believe in fairy tales? Knights in shining armor? White knights? Shit like that?" he inquired as he placed one hand on his hip, letting the other dangle lifelessly at his side.

Aqua did not answer. Instead, she chose to stare holes into the floor. She did not want to tell him the truth. He already knew that she believed in that kind of thing despite all she had been through. She wanted to believe that there _were_ fairy tales; she wanted to believe that somewhere, there were knights in shining armor who could save everyone from the evil dragons.

"You think just because I am a knight I am supposed to be _nice_?" he continued as he began walking toward her again.

"I'm supposed to ride a big, white horse, right? Saving damsels in distress. I am supposed to be kind and gentle," he raved and Aqua closed her eyes, unable to keep them open another moment.

"I am supposed to save the world, right?! Well, guess what?" Terra asked darkly, vacantly as he gazed down at her with cold, deep blue eyes. "I don't do that," he said as he slowly shook his head back and forth.

"If you expect me to be like that, then you have seriously misjudged me."

The young woman said nothing. She only stared blankly at the faux metal abs of Terra's armor.

"You can take your shower now," the dark-haired man said before storming into the bathroom.

After releasing a dejected sigh, Aqua followed him into the bathroom.

The duo went through Aqua's normal shower procedure, which involved her hiding behind the shower curtain while Terra leaned against the sink and waited to hand her towels.

They did not speak after Terra's knight in shining armor lecture. What was there left to say? Aqua did not want to speak to him anymore than he wanted to speak to her. They were both tired of the fighting and the yelling.

When they finally got into bed, Aqua did not wrestle with him much as he positioned himself behind her. At first, she thought it was because of their argument but the more she contemplated the situation, the more she realized she was conforming to a routine. As much as she hated to admit it, she was getting use to having his secure arms around her. She was growing accustomed to his dense breath on her neck, the natural heat his muscular body exuded, and his toasty face against her hair.

A habit was forming even though they were not speaking to one another. Terra was fuming and Aqua was discontented, but a ritual was being established despite her objections and his boiling temper.

* * *

Aqua quietly walked down the hallway that would lead her to the room where she would meet Lexeaus and possibly Zexion for her daily history lesson.

"Where do you think you're going?" Terra asked impatiently as he stood at the top of the blood red steps that led to Lexeaus' study.

"To go see Lexeaus?" Aqua asked with sweeping amounts of uncertainty.

"No, your week with Lexeaus is up," he stated bluntly.

_Has it been a week already?_ Aqua asked herself as she placed a hand on her hip. She swore that time passed by differently in the Dark Capital. It seemed to pass quickly and slowly at the exact same time.

"Then…where are we going today?" the blue-haired woman asked while one of her cobalt brows rose to her forehead.

For the past week, Terra and his charge had merely coexisted. Their communication was left to a minimum to prevent conflict, so he had forgotten to inform her that she would only be spending a week with Lexeaus and would be receiving lessons from the Seer Sages next.

"You are going to the Palace of Retribution," he Dark Knight announced as he turned to go down an alternate hallway that led to the palace's entrance.

"Wait!" Aqua called and she chased after him. "You mean the place where trials and prosecutions are held?"

"Yep," Terra answered and placed a hand on her back to usher her forward.

Her skin was getting colder as time passed. Terra had begun noticing at night that her natural chill was returning. Each night he crawled in bed with her, she would be a bit colder. Aqua's powers were returning, and they were returning faster than anticipated. The shot of magic suppressant Vexen had administered was given to her a little over a week ago. Vexen had told Terra that it would last a month, but as he felt Aqua's cool skin through his glove he seriously doubted it would last an entire month.

_We may have to increase her dosage next time. I just pray to Darkness that she doesn't notice that her magic is coming back,_ Terra thought.

"Why are we going there?" the young woman asked, bringing her guardian out of his thoughts.

"For the next week, you will be receiving lessons from the Seer Sages," the bronze warrior replied as his fingers continued to subconsciously stroke the small of her back.

Aqua tried her best to repress the shudder that consumed her body when she felt his fingertips rub the small of her back. The warm tips of his fingers drew tiny circles onto the canvas he made out of her back as he spoke. The caress only lasted a second but Aqua could still feel Terra's warm tongue like fingers licking her skin long after his hand retreated.

After his palm was removed, Aqua could finally process what he had just said. Terra had told her she was to be tutored by the Seer Sages next. She was just getting used to Lexeaus, but now she would have to deal with a completely different kind of teacher. Aqua did not want to go to the Palace of Retribution and she definitely did not want to learn _anything_ from the Seer Sages. Any lesson from Larxene, Zexion, or Marluxia would be unpleasant to say the least.

Suddenly, the female Keyblade wielder felt just like she did when Terra was about to leave her with Lexeaus for the first time: apprehensive, nervous, and afraid. And once again, she found herself wanting Terra to stay with her.

"Are you…are you going away again?" she asked fearfully as she followed her caretaker out of the palace and down dark orange stairwells with triangular yellow designs on them.

Aqua was afraid of his answer. Terra had a lot of responsibility, she knew that, but for some reason, she found herself wanting to use him as a prickly, uncomfortable security blanket.

"Yeah, I have to leave the city for a bit," he replied.

Terra was actually going to conduct a Purge, but he didn't want Aqua to know that. For some unknown reason, he did not feel like having that argument today. He would take his lashing from her for it later.

She was afraid he would say something like that. Terra always left town during her lessons. She didn't know why she was hoping that this time would be different.

By the time they reached the gates of the Palace of Retribution, Aqua was almost ready to turn around and hide under Terra's bed. She had a really bad, gnawing feeling about this growing in the pit of her stomach.

The Palace of Retribution had an appearance similar to that of Tarnen Palace. The establishment was many stories high. It was covered in chrome pipes that spat the same bizarre substance into the atmosphere and sharp towers that threatened to stab the sky.

After climbing three sets of large stone steps that marked the morbid court's entryway, Terra did not bother with knocking. He simply pulled open one of the monumental mahogany dual doors with gigantic, gold trim.

"Terra and the girl are here," Aqua heard Zexion call from the inside, his voice bouncing off the hard floors and high ceilings.

"I hate when he does that," she said as they entered the stony mansion like palace.

"Just imagine growing up with them," Terra whispered into her ear.

The young woman wrinkled her nose at the thought. She couldn't imagine growing up with Seer Sages as foster siblings…

Terra chuckled softly at her reaction before Marluxia emerged into the tremendous foyer.

The inside of the building was almost identical to Tarnen. The walls were made of black pipes and metal while the floors were drenched in blood. Tapestries of the Dark Realm insignias, crests, and emblems paid tribute to the unholy kingdom throughout the large space

"Welcome to the Palace of Retribution, Aqua. We shall begin once you are ready," the seer with salmon colored hair greeted her elegantly, a small smile carved onto his face.

Aqua glanced up at Terra. "Will you be gone long?"

"It is hard to say, but I will be back before dark," he answered.

"Summon me if you need me," Terra told Marluxia curtly as he reopened the colossal door and prepared to leave.

"We will," Marluxia, replied as he extended a hand for Aqua only to have her quickly decline, cross her arms, and turn her nose up at the offering.

Terra smiled vibrantly within his helmet.

_At least I am not he only one she snubs,_ he mused.

"Behave," the knight warned before he exited the massive foyer and left Aqua alone with the Seer Sages.

* * *

"The only thing I hate more than a traitor, is a liar," Terra said menacingly as he circled the man he and Axel were interrogating.

The man was middle-aged and suspected of harboring Children of Light who were avoiding execution. Terra had been sent there to obtain the fugitives and take them back to Hollow Bastion for sentencing, but the fugitives had _mysteriously_ vanished before he could get there. To make matters worse, Terra had a sneaking suspicion this man was also in league with the Opposition scum.

"We know you were friends with them," Axel implied as he stood before the kneeling man with his hands lazily on his hips. "Your sentence will be more lenient if you just admit it."

"I assure you I know nothing about their whereabouts! I have not seen them since yesterday!" the man with sandy blonde hair pleaded with shaky green eyes.

"Look," Terra said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. He was starting to lose his patience.

The bronze knight opened his mouth to speak again but was quickly interrupted by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Terra!" Demyx called as he repeatedly stumbled over his feet on his journey toward the Dark Knight and his prey.

"Damn it," Terra hissed under his breath and turned to face the aggravation that approached him.

"What is it, Demyx? I am kind of busy," Terra snarled and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"It's Aqua. Larxene sent me to come get you," Demyx announced nervously as he lurched over, his hands clutching his knees as he fought for breath.

"Fuck!" Terra roared and immediately summoned his Keyblade glider. He did not wait for any further explanation from Demyx. He had heard all he needed to hear.

"Demyx, Axel, you two finish up here!" he called before the glider launched into the orange, afternoon sky.

* * *

"Look, it is easy," Larxene said before she knelt down in front of Aqua. "All we are asking you to do is to try to take a teeny, tiny peak into the future."

"I won't," Aqua politely countered as she placed both of her hands over her heart.

"We just want you see what you are capable of," Marluxia explained as he too approached the girl he had been tutoring.

As expected, Aqua's lesson with the Seer Sages had turned into something sinister. They had gone from merely explaining the mechanics of peering into the future to trying to see if Aqua to do so herself.

It was like a game to them. They wanted to see how far they could push her before she broke. She didn't know what they had to gain in this other than to push her closer towards insanity. They were toying with her, poking and prodding, searching for weak spots and strengths. Being with the Seer Sages was nothing like being with Lexaeus. Zexion was even different when grouped with Marluxia and Larxene.

"You could probably obtain new powers if you would stop being stubborn and try," Larxene said, her lust for power coating the words that rippled from her mouth.

"I don't want those kinds of powers," the blue maiden whispered as she stared blankly at the unusual stone flooring inside the study.

"What is wrong? What happened?" Terra yelled as he busted through the study doors and witnessed a crumpled Aqua sitting on her knees in the floor.

He quickly removed his helmet and tossed it into the floor. Kneeling on one knee beside her, he gently placed his hands on her bare shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he repeated but this time he was only speaking to Aqua.

"She refuses to practice projecting into the future," Larxene huffed as she rose to her feet and rolled her eyes at Terra's sudden concern for the white whore.

"Is she a seer?" the knight asked in bewilderment as he removed his hands from Aqua's shoulders.

"That is what we are trying to determine," Marluxia clarified. "She holds vast amounts of magic potential and we wanted to see if she has the ability to project."

Terra's eyes narrowed at the Seer Sage and grew suspicious of their true motives. From what he had heard within the Court, they had no intention of making Aqua a seeress. Terra was rarely informed of plans due to his line of work, but he was still pretty sure this wasn't part of Aqua's rehabilitation.

"I don't want to," Aqua confessed as she looked over her shoulder at Terra. His gaze left Marluxia and gravitated to the girl addressing him. Preparing to listen, he placed his elbow on his knee and watched her intently.

"Terra, I will learn the technique and the mechanics behind it all day long," she began as she gazed at him sincerely with beseeching eyes, "but I refuse to look into the future. I will learn any other magic technique they want, just don't make me violate fate like that…"

For once, Terra and Aqua were on the same page. He had forced her into a lot, but he was not sure he could push her to do this.

The Dark Knight could not stand the seers and their unnatural abilities. Peering into the future…had changed them. Terra did not want Aqua to become a seeress, especially since she did not want to.

"You don't have to," Terra said softly as everyone's eyes went wide, especially Aqua's.

"What do you mean she doesn't have to!?" Larxene screeched and threw her hands on her hips.

"I mean she does not have to. I am not going to require her to learn…whatever it is that you are trying to force her to do," Terra explained further as he clasped the back of Aqua's arms and coarsely lifted her to her feet.

"She said she would learn any other technique you want, she just doesn't want to alter fate or the future," he continued and put his pronged helmet back on.

"I think she has had enough for one day. We will see you all tomorrow," the knight stated firmly as he turned to leave.

"The Overlords and Elders will hear about this Terra," Zexion threatened as he stood next to Larxene.

"Go ahead. Tell them. I doubt they were the ones who were wanting her to be a seer anyway," Terra countered as he opened the study door for Aqua. "To me, that seems a lot more like something the Seer Sages would want. You guys _are_ a bit outnumbered-"

"Just…go," Marluxia interrupted as he rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"With pleasure," Terra snapped as he slammed the door on the irritated seers.

Aqua stood awestruck beside Terra and listened to the fierce rumbling of the door and the intense echoes that bounced off the walls as a result of his action.

"Thank you," she whispered timidly as she twiddled her porcelain fingers.

"Don't mention it," the guardian answered gruffly while he continued to glare daggers at the abused door.

"I mean it, Terra...thank-"

"Seriously," Terra interrupted and held his metal hand up to stifle her. "Don't mention it."

For some reason, her sincerity put him more on edge than her spite. Terra knew anger, he understood it but honesty and openness were concepts that were harder for him to absorb. Especially coming from her.

"Let's just head back," he stated uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his helmet as if it was the back of his head, "I'm tired."

* * *

" _Terra, you hopeless sleepy head, wake up!" a delicate voice addressed him and he could feel cool fingering tossing his mangled hair._

" _Five more minutes," he complained before rolling onto his chiseled stomach._

" _No, Terra, you have already overslept," the gentle, feminine voice continued and Terra could feel someone straddling his back._ _Cool hands massaged his shoulders and the back of his neck._

_"Please? For me?" she begged and he could feel her leaning down and nuzzling his ear with her nose._

_His eyes opened slowly and he realized a cobalt curtain made of long, slightly wavy hair had enveloped him. Not only that but he was surrounded by the alluring smell of lavender._

" _Alright, alright I'm up," he grumbled into his pillow before shifting onto his back but he made sure to keep the young woman on top of him._

_Once the knight was on his back, he held the blue-haired girl by her hips and smiled warmly up at her. She looked good on top of him._

_She blushed lightly and patted his exposed chest. "We need to get up."_

_Aqua stood and pulled her dark blue dress' short skirt back down. She was in a sleeveless high-collared halter dress that tightly hugged her womanly curves. Black leggings coated the flawless porcelain skin of her legs and silver heels adorned her dainty feet. She wore sheer, white, and lacy bell sleeves on her arms while a small bizarre silver necklace the shape of a heart dangled over her chest._

_She was a vision as always._

" _Why can't we just stay I bed?" Terra complained and he grabbed her soft wrist._

**_Scars. Her scars are gone. The ones you gave her in Amur…she…she doesn't have them. Her wrists are flawless and unmarked by grisly, enduring bracelets._ **

" _Hmm, I am afraid not. You need to conduct your Purge as quickly as possible and return here," she replied as she ran her velvety fingertips along his knuckles. "We have the banquet tonight, remember?"_

" _How can I forget? You know how much I love banquets," the warrior continued to protest as he caressed the fragile wrist in his hand._

" _I know you hate when the Overlords throw a banquet but they mean well. They just want to get our minds off our serious line of work for a while. It is one of the few chances we get to actually be…young," Aqua said while she stared at him with tender, understanding eyes. "With you being a Dark Knight and with me being a Seer Sage we don't get many opportunities to do the normal things that other people our age do."_

" _So…are you still going to take me?" she pleaded timidly before Terra sat up in bed and planted his feet on the crimson floor._

" _Hmm, I don't know, Aqua," he teased as he held her by her toned waist. "What is in it for me?"_

_Aqua placed her hands on his broad sun-kissed shoulders. "Well, I got a new dress."_

" _What color?" he asked, his mischievous hands wandering over her full hips._

" _White," she blushed again and ran her thumbs over the sides of Terra's thick neck._

" _Am I allowed to remove this white garment afterwards?" Terra winked and tugged her toward him._

_Aqua giggled playfully. "The only way you are going to find out is if you take me."_

" _Hmm, in that case I suppose I will escort you," the knight pretended to reluctantly comply._

" _Thank you," Aqua whispered before she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on Terra's forehead._

**_This is not Blue... This girl is kind, open, and gentle...like...like the real Blue would be...if the Dark Rule and the overbearing oppression of her people had not done things to her..._ **

" _I put your suit out on your desk. I will be ready at seven," Aqua informed as she released her knight's face and exited the room._

_Suddenly, the scene blurred and shifted and Aqua was latching onto Terra's arm. They were in the ballroom and her head was resting against his well-muscled arm._

" _Are you thirsty?" the off duty Dark Knight questioned as he gently rubbed the top of Aqua's hand that was firmly holding the ebony fabric of his jacket._

_Terra's formal wear was not very formal. He was in a simple black suit with a white undershirt that was not fully buttoned. The top half of his chest was shown and he was resisting his desire to roll his sleeves up._

_The elegant young lady did not answer she simply shook her head and closed her eyes before pulling Terra closer by his arm. With caring midnight blue eyes, the man gazed down at his blue-haired seeress._

_She was absolutely gorgeous. Her dress was white just as she said it would be. The article of clothing was a high collared halter that tied behind her sophisticated neck much like the dress she wore earlier in the day except this dress was much thinner. It was made of a silky fabric that hung loosely around her belly but tightened at her bust, hips, and thighs. The garment was backless and revealed most of her ivory back and some of her milky sides._

_A thin diamond studded silver chain was wrapped around her hips and slanted to one side while the heart like necklace still hung from her neck. Even though Aqua was wearing bleached high heels with blue sapphires embedded into their heel, she still did not reach Terra's shoulders._

" _Dance with me?" she asked as she pulled at his hand._

" _Aqua, you know I don't dance," Terra grumbled as he gently resisted her persistent tugging. The warrior could dance but he always chose not to._

" _Please, Terra," Aqua begged she tried to drag him to the dance floor. "Just one? A slow one?"_

_Terra's heart sank as Aqua looked directly into his shady blue eyes, longing for him to dance with her. He couldn't deny her anything…not when she peered up at him like that._

**_The hatred is gone…the resentment…it is gone and replaced by…something else…affection maybe?_ **

_Terra sighed heavily and offered Aqua his hand._

_She smiled brilliantly and happily accepted his offer. Their fingers lace and it was as if they were made for each other. His hand was meant to lock with hers and hers was meant to meld into his._

_Warmth spread through the knight's chest as he felt her squeeze his hand admiringly. Stoically, he led her through the crowd of people already dancing. Terra did not know who they were. He assumed they were his foster siblings, Larxene and Saïx, the whole lot, but he couldn't pay attention to anyone else. All that mattered to him was Aqua. She was all he wanted and she was all he needed. He was sure of it._

_The male Keyblade Master stood in a waltz position and waited for Aqua to accept his hand and place her other hand on his shoulder, but she simply wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest._

**_S-She is touching you…! Blue never willingly touches you! She avoids you like plague. She goes through great lengths to ensure that her pure hands and righteous arms never caress or wrap around your tainted form…_ **

_The knight gasped from her sudden and unexpected action before he quickly enveloped her in his protective arms. He draped his limbs over her shoulders and ran his hands all over her nude back. The young woman sighed in contentment and nestled her face further into his toned chest._

**_She feels better without the gauntlets on…_ **

_The dance was more like a prolonged hug, but Terra did not mind. He held her elegant body to his and ran his fingers through her soft hair. The Dark Knight gently caressed the back of her neck and shoulders before he returned her to the safety of his arms._

_All at once, the scene shifted again and Aqua and Terra were running down the crimson hallways back to the knight's room._

_The brown-haired warrior chased her down the long corridors and Aqua could stop giggling uncontrollably each time she turned a sharp corner, causing Terra to curse and stumble. The Dark Keyblade Master had never seen anyone with as graceful as Aqua. She could practically fly. Her feet were weightless and her movements were fluid. She flowed like the water she was named after._

**_Damn, I'm thirsty…_ **

_When they reached his door, Aqua slowed down and Terra took the opportunity to pin her to the wall. He loomed over her, pressing his body to hers as they both chuckle and fight for their fleeting breath._

_He cupped her heart-shaped face in his hands and the young woman openly regarded him. She smiled as her chest heaved, causing her breasts to repeatedly graze against his torso._

_Terra absent-mindedly ran his thumbs under her dazzling sky blue eyes as she tenderly held one of his hands to her face._

_Terra removed his hands from her face and leisurely placed his hands on the wall on both sides of her head. Craning his neck, he leaned forward and captured her lips with his._

_The unity and wholeness he felt when their fingers laced was nothing compared to the euphoria he was feeling now._

_His head tilted to the side as he closed his lips on her cool bottom lip. Aqua moaned softly against his mouth and began returning the kiss. Large cobalt eyes close as she looped her arms around Terra's neck._

_Terra desperately fought the urge to snarl as he felt her smooth skin lick the sides of his neck and felt her fingers dig into his hair. Terra's hands found her waist and he peeled her off the wall to bring her body even closer to his. The warrior could not get close enough to her._

_After giving her many sets of relatively chaste strokes with his lips, Terra decided he wanted more and he was going to take it. He opened his mouth a bit wider so he could gently rub the tip of his tongue along her delicious bottom lip. Aqua shivered and opened her mouth for him._

**_Good girl!_ **

_Terra smirked against her mouth as he softly ran his tongue along hers._

_Aqua was still at first, allowing him to rub and stroke her tongue with his, but she eventually took initiative and began returning the provocative favor in between their heated kisses._

_His skin was starting to burn and his breathing was starting to quicken and not because he had been chasing Aqua not too long ago._

_The Dark Knight growled softly as he interrupted one of the azure woman's tongue strokes and lightly captured her bottom lip with his teeth. The blue-haired female squeaked as Terra sucked on her captive muscle and gently pulled it farther into his mouth._

_Meanwhile, the knight's hands began getting anxious. They left their place on her waist and began roaming over her hips and bare back._

_He squeezed, pulled, and rubbed at her thighs and hips before his hands carefully wandered up into her skirt._

_Terra could not be sated. He massaged the inside of her extreme upper thighs before gently grazing the length of his hand back and forth along the front of her undergarments._

" _Hey," Aqua whispered breathlessly as she hesitantly pulled herself away from Terra's skilled mouth._

" _Hmm?" he replied, his dark eyes heavy and half lidded._

" _Let's continue this in your room," she suggested between breaths._

_Terra cleared his throat and nodded before following Aqua into his room._

" _You think we can be quiet?" she breathed suggestively against his lips as he used his back to shut the door._

" _We can try," he answered gruffly as he bent down to grab the back of Aqua's porcelain legs, lifting her up and forcing her to quickly wrap her dainty legs around his powerful waist._

_Aqua tittered as her silver shoes fell off her feet. Following suit, Terra kicked off his own shoes before sitting her on his bed._

_Confident, graceful hands found the buttons of Terra's white shirt and swiftly popped them open. Once his chest was revealed, Aqua's cool hands massaged over his chest and down over his rugged abs. Her hands slid back up to his chest and lingered over his strong, booming heartbeat._

_Terra watched intently as Aqua's thumb dwelled on his chest's powerful pulse._

" _What is it?" the warrior asked sincerely as he ran his fingers through her lengthy cobalt tresses._

" _Nothing." she beamed at him affectionately. "I have just always loved the sound of your heartbeat."_

_Terra grinned at her and finished removing his button up and his black jacket. Once his upper half was exposed, Aqua reached behind her head and unfastened the diamond button that held the high collared dress around her neck._

_The constriction around her neck fell as well as the upper half of the garment, causing the top of the dress to pool in her lap._

_The young woman sat confidently in front of her lover and brushed her vibrant hair off her shoulders in order to completely reveal herself to him. Despite her confident posture and actions, Aqua still subtly nibbled at her bottom lip while Terra gazed down at her with smoldering, lust-filled eyes._

_The Dark Knight leaned down and planted his fists into the bed on both sides of her hips as he seized her delectable lips once more. Instantly, Aqua tilted her head back in submission while Terra applied more pressure to her mouth and gently laid her back on his bed._

_Aqua immediately moaned the moment her bare chest collided with Terra's warmed one. She trembled fiercely as he settled and positioned himself on top of her._

" _Your always so warm," she mumbled against his heavy lips as her hands glided over the rippling muscles of his back._

" _No, you're just cold," the young man countered as he lifted her with one arm and slung her body around like a rag doll so her head was correctly placed on his pillows._

_Terra sat on his knees between her legs and proceeded to remove the rest of the dress from her body, making sure that the removal of the garment was painfully slow. He wanted to watch her squirm._

_The knight sluggishly slid the silky fabric off her hips, making sure that his hands and fingers grazed the flesh that covered her hips as he removed it. Then he gently pulled the article of clothing off her legs while he brushed his fingertips all the way from her hips to the top of her ankles._

_Aqua arched her back, writhed helplessly, and clawed at the vermillion sheets as Terra took his time performing what would normally be a brief, simple action._

_After he removed her dress, the brunette rapidly took off the bottom half of his clothes and threw all of the clothing into the floor._

_Aqua spread her legs gingerly as Terra crawled up the length of her body and settled down in between her parted limbs. Her hands caressed his face and brushed random stands of brown out of his face while the knight's hands softly explored every inch of her body._

_They wandered over the plains of her stomach, the curves in her sides, the bulk of her hips, and even the arc in her back._

_Finally, his hands swept down to her pale, white undergarments and hooked into its vulnerable sides._

_Terra wanted to rip the damn thing to shreds, but he did all he could to calm his animalistic tendencies. Instead of ripping her undergarments to pieces like he wanted, he slid them down the length of her legs, feathering kisses down her abdomen, hips, and legs as he went._

_Aqua's hands petted and pulled at his hair as she whimpered and squirmed while he kissed his way back up her body after disposing of the unwanted obstacle._

_Terra kissed and licked the valley between her breasts before he giving each individual sphere the attention it desired. Since his mouth couldn't be in two places at once, he made sure to use his hands to make up for any neglect the other half of her chest may feel._

_The longer Terra played, sucked, and licked at her chest, the more impatient and needy Aqua became._

" _Terra!" Aqua pleaded as her legs slid up and down the length of Terra's muscular torso._

" _Had enough?" he teased as he licked the apex of one of her breasts at an agonizingly slow pace while he watched her with burning blue eyes._

" _Yes!" she begged as her back arched into him and her hips ground roughly into his._

_That was all Terra could stand, he had reached his breaking point and her grinding her bare lower body against him like that was enough to drive any man mad._

_He was planning on smothering the lower segment of her body with attention as well but who was he to deny the lovely lady of what she truly longed for?_

**_I have never been one much for foreplay anyway... Aqua must be aware to how I operate in the bedroom...she seems accustomed to it...to me..._ **

_The unarmored knight repositioned himself over her and pressed his hands into the bed underneath her arms. Just as Terra was preparing to enter her, Aqua delicately ran her fingers over his slightly parted mouth._

_Terra's dark blue eyes went wide as her hands touched him tenderly. She marveled at his lips and traced her soft fingertips over the edges of his chin._

" _Terra," she whispered his name with vast amounts of devotion as she held her fingertips to his scalding lips, "I love you."_

_The Dark Knight swallowed hard, really hard. A huge lump formed in his throat as the words wriggled into his ear and crawled down into his chest._

_That uncomfortable feeling was back._

**_It feels like…it almost feels like it did when she wouldn't take my hand that night…the night after the dinner…the night I took her Keyblade…_ **

_The feeling stung deep in his sternum, but as he looked down into her shimmering eyes, the pain began to cease. The tickling turned into a soothing heat that filled every single void he had ever felt, just like when he held her hand and when he kissed her…he felt…whole…complete._

" _I love you too," he uttered so softly she barely heard it as he once again took her lips prisoner._

_While he kissed her with as much passion and intimacy as he could muster, he firmly gripped her by her hips and finally slid inside of her._

_His mouth muffled her slight discomforted gasp as she took a moment to adjust. Terra continued to try to distract her from the pain by massaging her hips and squeezing her thighs. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her even though somehow he knew that she no longer had her hymen._

**_Not like Blue... No, I am sure I took care of this Aqua's mark of virginity a long time ago._ **

_The earthen Keyblade Master released her mouth and forcefully shoved her head to the side with his cheek before plummeting to the crook of her neck where he proceeds to devour its tender flesh._

_Aqua held her head to the side as she gripped and clawed at Terra's wide shoulders._

_She moved with him. Even in bed she moved with unmatched grace and tranquility. Aqua knew exactly how to move with Terra. She did not inhibit his movements; she cascaded with them. She melded to Terra and his tantalizing actions._

_Water does not clash with earth and rock; it melds around it, seeps into it, and it conforms to it._

_Terra was experiencing absolute bliss. He could not get enough of her. His thirst couldn't be quenched. Not ever. Each new thrust felt better than the last and each new noise that erupted from Aqua's delightful throat was more arousing than the one that came before it._

_He knew he was making unearthly sounds but he couldn't stop himself. The knight grunted, roared, and moaned in utter elation._

_They tossed and turned and twirled the sheets and bed spread into unrecognizable heaps as they fought for dominance._

**_Just like in Amur…_ **

_As Terra propelled Aqua to her back once more, he shackled her hands to the bed, her back arching as she came apart around him, finally reaching her peak._

_His fingers lace with hers as he watched her achieve her pinnacle. She panted, moaned, and thrashed while murmuring indecipherable praises._

_Terra smirked as she wrestled with her high._

_The Dark Knight never comes first._

_After Aqua's fierce peak, Terra also achieved his. The knight grunted and groaned loudly while he buried his face in his lover's porcelain neck. All of his muscles tensed as he clutched her hands even tighter, almost to the point of pain but she didn't cry out or whimper._

_After what seemed like a short eternity they both finally stilled. The lust, the high, the quivering, the drumming, the piping hot ecstasy; it all faded away._

_Terra exhaled harshly through his mouth and finally freed Aqua's hands. As he was about to roll off her, Aqua whined and enveloped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist._

" _Not yet," she pleaded breathlessly. "Don't leave me yet."_

" _I wasn't going to leave you," he said, his voice raspy and gruff from overuse._

_The knight held Aqua's body firmly to his as he slowly rolled onto his back. She laid her head on his torso and he rested his cheek on her blue head as she drew tiny circles on his heaving, sweat kissed chest._

" _Together. Always?" her voice was tired and weak as she glanced up at him, placing her dainty chin on his chest._

" _Always," he reassured her and kissed her damp forehead._

_The pain started to come back. His sternum began to burn and he suddenly felt like he was on fire. His whole body was being devoured by an inferno that was eating him from the inside out._

" _Aqua?" he inquired as he peered down at his chest._

_She was gone._

" _Aqua! No! Don't leave me!" he cried and started ripping through the crimson sheets in search for her, his other half, his essence, his passion, his very being._

_The sheets no longer simply have the appearance of blood, the sheets were literally covered in blood; they might even be blood._

_Terra was suddenly covered in blood. His body began to seep into the bloody bed that had quickly turned into a pool of scarlet quicksand._

" _Fuck!" the knight cried as he wrestled to get out of the acidic, lethal bed that gained more depth with each breath he took._

_The blood burned his skin and was rotting and falling off of him. Frantically, Terra yanked at his legs but they were permanently caught in the red, concrete snare that was still consuming him. He was sinking and he was sinking fast._

_Bloody, mutilated hands grasped at sheets that now feel like gory entrails as he tried to swim out of the deadly cradle of gore and guts._

_Before he knew it, the chunky ghastly mass was up to this throat and eventually the crimson fluid covered his chin and crept up his jaw._

" _AQUA!"_

* * *

Midnight blue eyes savagely ripped open and Terra jolted so violently in his bed that Aqua yelped as his thrashing movements woke her from her satisfying slumber.

Cobalt locks filled his perspective and the bitter aroma of jasmine and lavender violated his nostrils, causing Terra's heart to brutally clench.

_Aqua...it is Aqua..._

The Dark Knight gagged roughly and released Aqua's waist. Hysterically sitting up in bed.

He could not catch his breath. His chest heaved aggressively as he restlessly ran his fingers through his deep, brown hair in a vain attempt to compose himself.

She tilted her body toward his and glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes surprisingly gentle. "What's wrong?"

Terra's breath hitched as he peered down at the girl watching him with concerned detached eyes. He panicked. She looked just like the girl from his dream because she was the girl from his dream and it was enough to make him go mad. They were identical and Terra was so confused and to top it all off he was hyperventilating.

"N-nothing. Nothing. I-I just need to get…get some…some air," stuttered Terra as he clumsily removed the ruby covers from his shaking, sweat covered body.

The Dark Keyblade Master launched himself out of bed as fast as he could and barreled through the balcony doors.

The cool night air smothered his flaming skin as he staggered to the edge of the balcony. He clasped the balcony railing until his knuckles turned white.

His breathing was returning to normal but his mind was still muddled and baffled by the vivid and unorthodox dream.

"Terra?" he heard that familiar and gentle voice. _Her_ voice.

"Are you alright?"

Aqua stood in the balcony doorway in her small white, lacy slip she had begun willingly wearing to bed. Her arms were crossed in front of herself to shield her body from the chill in the crisp night air, the wind blowing at her sapphire hair, causing it to flow in and around front of her beautiful face.

_My dream didn't do her justice. She is much prettier in person..._

"Huh?" Terra answered in an extremely puzzled tone as he gazed over his shoulder at her. It took him a while to process what she was even saying to him. "What? Yeah. Yeah… Yeah. I-I'm…I'm ok."

"Do I need to get someone?" she questioned, her tone almost worried as she placed an ivory hand over her heart and glanced back in the direction of the hallway.

"Just, um, just go back to bed. I-I'll be there in a minute," he replied while he peered back at her, accidentally noticing her monstrous scars, the ones that he gave her, scars that would likely mar her beautiful skin forever.

"You're so weird," Aqua said before she yawned and headed back to his large canopy bed.

That was when Terra was plagued by an emotion he had not felt in years, one that he had been punished severely for as a child. It was one of the many feelings that had been beaten out of him during his pursuit of becoming a Dark Knight.

Guilt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	8. Best Not to Think About It

After waking in a cold sweat as a result of his dream, Terra did not go back to sleep. Instead, he reluctantly held a sleeping Aqua to him while he slowly slipped into madness. 

She had put a spell on him. He just knew it. She was a witch, a sorceress and she was trying to demoralize him. That was the only explanation for such absurd dreams…no, nightmares. 

Aqua had crawled out of his embrace a few moments ago but Terra did not get out of bed. He simply lied on his back with a stocky arm draped over his drained, blood shot eyes, aggressively chewing his tongue and gnawing on the inside of his cheeks. 

He was not paying attention to Blue. Terra could hear her banging around in the bathroom and that was good enough for him. She could be making some object to kill him for all he knew but he just could not bring himself to care. Death would be a kindness at this point. 

“Did you ever get back to sleep last night?” 

 _She speaks. Damn it._  

“Not really.” His voice was husky and rough.  

"It must have been some dream to have put you so on edge," the young woman called from the luxurious cherry-colored bathroom.

_You have no idea…_

"It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare," he answered but he was completely immobile. He did not budge an inch.

"I didn't think you went back to sleep… I didn't feel you…" Aqua walked out of the bathroom and wandered in front of the mirror attached to Terra's dressing table. Once there, she started playing with the ends of her hair absentmindedly.

Regretfully, she had become familiar with Terra's sleeping patterns. She could tell when he was asleep and when he was only resting. It was an unwanted talent.

"No. I just held you," Terra said without thinking.

_Fuck!_

The warrior's face turned bright red as he continued to hold his arm over his eyes.

_Oh, well. She can't see me blushing._

A dream about fucking Aqua would have been one thing. Terra understood fucking. There did not have to be any feeling or method behind it. All it required was physical attraction and a willing participant. But he didn't just fuck her…he had…he had been in love with her! He had been in love with Aqua and he had even _told_ her that he loved her. Terra had kissed her…caressed her…and just--

"I am going to stay in town today," he informed blankly and hopelessly tried to repress any and all memories of his ludicrous dream.

"Oh?" she inquired, brushing through her unique hair in front of the large mirror.

"Yeah. I am not fit to…leave town today. I won't impose on your lesson, but I will be around." Terra uncovered his eyes and stared at the cascading canopy of red above his bed. "I'll stay around the Palace of Retribution or something. Vanitas can cover for me."

"Is that…is that wise?" Aqua hesitantly asked.

Vanitas was a monster among monsters. As Aqua got to know the knights, she learned that Vanitas was by far the most feral. He was wild, unpredictable, and above all dangerous. The Child of Light began to understand why Terra was their leader instead of Vanitas.

"Probably not," Terra answered honestly and placed his hands behind his head.

"Are you even getting out of bed today?" the girl questioned and Terra felt her sit on the foot of his canopy bed by his feet. "You are usually up before I am."

_'Terra, you hopeless sleepy head, wake up!'_

The Dark Knight's stomach lurched at the memory.

"I am in no hurry, unless you just _want_ to stay with the seers longer.” He was stubbornly avoiding looking at her as if she would turn him to stone if he were to look directly at her.

"No, I am good," Aqua quickly protested with a shake of her head.

_You have to face her eventually. Stop being so fucking stupid, Terra._

"So what was your dream about?" Her question made bile rise in the back of Terra’s throat. He was about to get sick.

_Oh, you know the usual. Just that we had grown up together... You were a Seer Sage and I was madly in love with you._

"Something stupid," he snapped and finally sat up although he still felt his stomach and all its contents might gush from his mouth. "I need to take a shower," Terra groused as he unwillingly removed himself from his consoling bed.

_I need to wash all this shit and stupid off of me…_

"Don't go getting any ideas," he threatened, gripping Aqua's chin and compelling her to look at him.

He regretted touching her the instant he did it. Observing her was one thing, but touching her had been another. He thought he could handle it. He was wrong. The dream and its contaminating thoughts were much too fresh.

"I won't," she replied with far away eyes before gently dislodged her chin away from Terra's fingertips.

_Her eyes. They are cold and detached again… She won't look at me with anything except contempt and hatred._

"Just because I am in the shower doesn't mean you that are not being watched." Terra began his trek to his bathroom. "So even if you do try to leave, someone else will catch you. Remember you are in our stronghold and you are not permitted to go _anywhere_ without me."

"Okay! I get it! Just go take your shower!" Aqua complained and buried her face in the pillow Terra had lying been on moments before.

Sighing heavily, he entered the bathroom and began running water into the tub. He slammed the bathroom door a bit harder than necessary and threw off his sleeping pants. He rushed into the shower even though the water had not had enough time to warm.

He hissed as the cool water licked all over his skin. The cool touch reminded him of Aqua. The way she felt, the way her body felt, and how it felt when she put her caring hands on him. Her wintery temperature had not been uncomfortable… It was refreshing and calming.

_Stop it!_

But he could not stop.  His body did not listen and neither did his mind. The impression was too strong. Terra closed his navy blue eyes and bashed his head into the stone siding of his shower as the chilled fluid continued to violate him.

Her soft, cool hands were on him. She was rubbing his back and her silky legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. Every single inch of her had been so brisk and compassionate. It calmed him and extinguished the raging fire that always blazed fiercely inside of him.

The memories would not stop washing over him. They flowed over his body like the water that was erupting from his silver showerhead.

Terra could sense her, the girl from the dream. The liquid's chilly temperature kept bringing additional memories forth. Details began to resurface and they seemed more in-depth than they had been when he was actually experiencing the dream.

Sensations he didn't think he was ever capable of experiencing again started gushing back. The arctic freshness of her fingertips on his lips as she whispered sweet nothings to him and the pungent smell of lavender tickling into his nose and up into his brain as he consumed her frost kissed neck. He was brutally aware of it all.

The recollection of ice glazing over her cool skin and Terra quickly melting it with his normal body temperature… Exhaling onto the frozen water that gave her skin an ethereal sheen until it liquefied before quickly lapping up the recently thawed fluids from her warming flesh…

Terra was even recalling the tightness of her womanhood around his girth. The icy hot sensation they created as their bodies became one and balanced each other out. It was a heavenly union and a euphoric equilibrium. For something _so_ wrong, it had felt so fucking good.

Finally, the water turned warm and the assault of reminiscence ceased. What never was and never could be faded. Reality was returning. The girl in the other room was not _his_ Aqua. She was Blue and she did not love him anymore than he loved her. It was only a dream and it had ended. A dream where things were as Terra thought they should be, a world where Aqua did not hate him, where he did not have to control her, where she willingly lived within the Dark Capital. A place where they were happy, and apparently, they could find that happiness with each other...

But Blue did not want to dance with him, she didn't even want to touch him or even look at him. She watched him with disconnected eyes full of distaste and aversion. She did not laugh wildly when he chased her, she did not smile when she saw his face, and she did not willingly share a bed with him.

The Aqua from his dream did not exist, the girl who had never been tortured by the Dark Realm, and the one that was never oppressed and orphaned. The Aqua that Terra never hurt…

Terra wasn't even sure that the man he was in that dream existed either.

_I have never been in love… I wouldn't know…_

The haze was clearing. The dream-induced hangover was withdrawing and Terra was sobering. He was returning to his normal state of mind with each cascade of hot water.

_I should be okay now. I can probably face her now._

He turned off the scalding water and exited the steaming shower. Terra walked to his fogged mirror and wiped off the condensation that had accumulated on its surface before he took a long, hard look at himself.

It was the man underneath all the blackened armor. The man in the mirror was the other half of himself. The young man who existed when the garb and duty was removed. Terra hardly recognized the man because the armor was rarely removed. He hardly felt human anymore. The pressure of responsibility and duty had become so routine that Terra was never really Terra anymore. He had to be the knight, the immortal.

The knight and the man with dark brown hair were almost two different people. The knight was ruthless and cruel. He demanded perfection and accomplishment but once all that was achieved, the terrifying intensity diminished. Just like when he had conquered Aqua in Amur. The instant he got compliance and submission from her his mood changed dramatically.

Terra's savagery did have limits unlike his foster-brother Vanitas’. He was barbaric. He would be the first to admit it, but it was a means to an end. Terra was not vicious for the sake of being vicious. He did it to accomplish goals. It was not out of pure enjoyment.

 _I am thinking too much!_ He harshly scolded himself as he cleared his throat and wrapped a towel around his dripping waist.

Mentally preparing himself to face Blue, he exited the bathroom and made his way to his armored mannequin.

Aqua was lying on her stomach with her arms folded under her head. Upon hearing Terra enter the room, she peeked over one of her arms and quickly blushed. She had seen him shirtless many times since she… _moved in_ , but she was still getting use to him. The fact that Terra was still wet and was just in a towel did not make the adjustment any easier. She had seen him like this a few times before but she still felt embarrassed.

"Look away or cover your face unless you want to see me naked," the Dark Knight warned as he grabbed the towel around his waist.

The young woman squeaked before covering her head with his pillow.

She knew the drill. She knew Terra would undress regardless and had no shame but she did always appreciate his warnings when he was undressing with her in the same room as him. He appeared to be at least somewhat considerate of her virtue and innocence, and she was thankful for that even if she never expressed it.

"All right. It’s safe now," Terra stated while he finished adjusting the lower portion of his armor.

The azure girl peeked out from under his pillow to be sure before she sat up to watch him.

"Do you think they will make me…? Will they make me project into the future today?" Aqua asked and watched Terra slowly transform into the Dark Knight.

Terra cringed. He had been so distracted by his ignorant dream he hadn't even thought about the Seer Sages or even Aqua’s lesson for that matter.

"I won't let them," he answered curtly.

The Keyblade Master meant what he said. He would not let them turn her into something like that…unless the Overlords and the Elders demanded it. Then it would be out of his hands. Terra could defy the Seer Sages, but not the Court.

"Unless the Court orders that you become a Seer Sage, but I am not convinced that it is even possible for you to become one." He began thinking out loud.

"What is the Court again? And what makes you think I can't become a seeress! I probably could if I tried." Aqua placed her dainty hands on her shapely hips as she felt her abilities being questioned.

"The Court is the entity that calls all the shots. It is made of the Overlords and the Elders. They become one to make decisions about the affairs of the world, Purges and all that shit," he answered and he tried his damnedest not to stare at her hips.

"And a seer is usually something that you either are or you're not. And if you were one, I think you would know it by now." He shifted in his metal suit and rearranged his chest plate. "I am not questioning your abilities or anything I am just saying that it isn't very likely that you can become one overnight. Like I said, most of the time, it is something you with either have the ability to do or not."

"The seers seem to think that I could," Aqua countered.

"Yeah, they could probably force you into it or you could have some procedure done that would allow you to do so but since you don't have the natural ability, you would probably go blind from having to put extra effort into it." Terra began coating his arms in black metal.

"Blind?" Aqua yelped and rested one of her hands over her heart.

"Yeah." Terra turned and sat next to her on the bed. "You see, every day Larxene and the others project is a risk. Being a seer is an uncertain, hazardous thing. They are natural seers but we have had seers that were not necessarily born with the ability."

Terra shrugged when she continued to look at him expectantly. "Anyway, the farther into the future they look or the more people they track at the same time, the higher the risk is. It is an unnatural ability in general, but if they peer too far or if they do too much physical effects can manifest. Blindness is often a result of a seer going beyond their means or abilities." He couldn’t help but notice they actually held fuzzy eye contact as he spoke.

"So since you weren't born with the natural ability, you would have to try _a lot_ harder to receive bits of the future or whatever your area of expertise would be even if they did train you or run experiments on you that would help you do so. As a result, you would put too much strain on your body and your perception. You would probably be completely blind or crazy within a decade or so," Terra explained as he looked into her gorgeous sky blue eyes. He would hate to see them glaze over and turn into a pale gray as a result of blindness.

"Which brings this conversation full circle!" The knight ripped his eyes away from hers, put his hands on his knees, and rose to his feet. "If you become a Seer Sage you will probably go blind and/or crazy. You are too valuable to the Overlords physically and especially magically to waste your eyesight and sanity like that. If they wanted to use you, they would much rather use your magic abilities and your skills as a Keyblade bearer. So I seriously doubt they would demand that you become a Seer Sage. It would be a waste."

"Is that why you didn't make me project yesterday?" Aqua asked, her eyes following him.

_Partly…_

"Yeah, I knew they wanted you to carry some of their load. See, if they had you do some of the more dangerous work, they wouldn't have to do it. Better you go blind than them. Then they could blame it on your inexperience and the fact that you aren’t a natural seer," the bronze warrior replied.

"That is so sneaky. Isn't that going against The Court?"

"Kind of. They didn't ask permission, but I doubt they received orders to do that to you either. That is another reason I am not worried about them complaining about me not making you peer into the future yesterday. I am not the one in the wrong here." He secured his helmet atop his head.

"Do I have to go?" Aqua complained even though she knew the answer.

"Yes. Up," Terra commanded as he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. He held her by her arm as he led her out of his bedroom and down through the extravagant hallways of the Tarnen Palace.

"You can let go whenever you want!" the Keyblade wielder protested as she tried to yank her arm out of his thick gasp.

"Habit," he mumbled gutturally inside his headgear and shrugged before liberated her limb.

By now, Terra had realized that Aqua probably would not run away the first chance she got and it appeared that she accepted her inevitable fate there, but he could never let his guard down. She would probably try to escape at some point. That was inevitable but she would wait for a perfect, calculated moment and he would be ready for it. However he was being honest when he said that he tugged her out of habit. It was just what he did to ensure she was doing what she needed to be doing.

"So you're staying in the Palace of Retribution today?" the blue-haired woman inquired as she walked closely at his side.

"No objections to that I hope," Terra replied desolately.

"No, I'm not objecting," she spoke softly and she vaguely reminded him of the girl from his dream. "I just wanted to clarify."

Truthfully, Aqua was relieved Terra would be nearby. That way she could complain to him if Larxene, Marluxia, or Zexion tried anything. However, she was also hoping she would not require his assistance.

* * *

The Dark Knight was beginning to regret his decision to stay in Hollow Bastion. He had been everywhere inside and around the Palace of Retribution. He had even ventured to the chapel deep within the establishment and now, he was getting bored with it. For the past hour, he had watched people come in and pray for guidance and strength and anything else they could possibly want.

Terra was pretty sure he heard a young lady pray for him to notice her. So far, her prayer had not been answered. He wouldn't even be able to recall her hair color if someone asked him.

The Dark Keyblade Master was getting antsy. What could possibly be taking this long? The sun was setting and Aqua's lessons were not supposed to linger into the night. The faint rays of the setting sun were no longer shining through the blue, green, and white designs of the chapel's stain glass windows and darkness was beginning to stain the sky instead.

He was moments away from running into the study they were holding her in and telling them to wrap it up. Hell, he might not even tell them to wrap it up. He might just go in there and drag her out.

 _"What are they doing?"_ a gentle and elegant voice reached out to him, taking him off guard.

"Praying," he answered bluntly before he gazed down at the blue-haired girl who had silently taken a seat in one of the pews he was standing by.

"How was the lesson?" he questioned genuinely and protectively placed his hand on the back of her seat. It was a callous action, one she was choosing to ignore.

"Boring. They just ranted about how important they are to the Dark Rule and how amazing they are." Aqua gave a vague and slightly exaggerated version of the day's actual lesson.

Terra chuckled. "That seems about right."

"Larxene also called me a fat, grotesque whore," she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, I have heard her call you that more than once. Among other things," the knight replied with a sneer.

"Well, I think she is lovely," Aqua replied honestly as she folded her hands in her lap, "On the outside anyway."

He could not understand how Aqua could say such kind things about someone who had been so cruel to her. He assumed it had something to do with her inner radiance.

 _Must me a Child of Light thing…_ he mused.

The Dark Knight scoffed. "I guess."

Terra use to find Larxene attractive but that was a _very_ long time ago.

Silence filled the chapel while she sat and watched the people coming in and out and praying at the front of the chapel with a perplexed look on her face.

"Surprised?" the guardian asked as he noticed his charge staring at the Dark Followers.

"A little.”

"They may not pray to the same _entity_ as you but a few of them still choose to pray none the less," he stated and leaned against the pew.

"For what?" Aqua resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose.

"The same things that you would pray for," Terra replied as he turned to leave. "They _are_ still people you know."

"Well, it kind of easy for me to forget that," Aqua snapped as she rose to her feet and unwillingly followed Terra out of the extravagant building.

"Why? Because we aren't like you?" Terra quickly countered as he turned to glare at her from within his helmet.

"That's not what I have a problem with," the young woman argued under her breath.

"Okay, what is it that you do have a problem with?" He decided to humor her as they walked through the vacant, dimly lighted streets that led back to Tarnen Palace.

"It is about right and wrong. None of you understand what it even means anymore. Everything is blurred…" she answered even though she wasn't quite sure why she was having this discussion with a man who was clearly one of _them._

"Right and wrong, huh?" he repeated before opening one of the colossal crimson and gold doors of the palace.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that," Aqua challenged emotionlessly. She knew he wouldn’t understand.

"What makes you so sure that _you're_ right?" Terra quickly countered.

Their argument could be heard throughout the palace. The ears of silent housekeepers performing their last-minute chores perked and the unseen eyes of guards and standard Dark Knights stationed at their posts followed them. No one dared to interrupt but all were eager to watch and listen.

"Because what you people do is clearly wrong. Tell me how the Purge and imprisoning and killing innocent people is right?" the blue-eyed woman asked as she bitterly thought of a million other reasons of why the Dark Rule was immoral. There wasn’t enough breath in her body for her to name all of them at once.

"Those things are done for the greater good. Sometimes, sacrifices are required in order to achieve certain results," the warrior stated as if she didn’t know any better.

"Is that what they tell you?" she mocked, her cerulean eyes rolling.

"Yes, but I wouldn't expect you to understand the mechanics and purpose behind it."

"Oh, and what _purpose_ is that?"

"Have you seen this town? The people here are happy and they are prospering. This city is the vision the Overlords have for the world. These people are doing _a lot_ better than the rotting society and civilization you were raised in," he ridiculed yet somehow managed to sound as if he were merely stating fact. His expression was a clever mixture of smugness and frustration, one that made bitter bile rise in her throat, one that ignited anger inside her.

"It is rotting because of you!" she shouted without thinking, rage simmering within her eyes.

"Because you and yours refuse to follow the rules and accept the way things are now!" Terra roared.

Unable to look at him anymore, Aqua fearlessly shoved past him and dashed into the room they shared. Repercussions be damned.

Ultimately, she chose not to answer him. Instead she sat at the Dark Knight's dressing table and began forcefully yanking the tangles out of her mane. She didn’t need or really want to brush her hair but she needed a distraction, something that could put an end to this argument and the hairbrush was the first thing she saw that she could make a task out of.

"You know, that kind of impudent thinking is what got your people into this mess in the first place," he stated, his voice hard and stony as he leaned against his doorway and watched Aqua abuse her sapphire hair.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she spat in between tugs, her eyes lowered and lamented.

"Oh yes you do. All that holier than thou bullshit that all of you pull. The idea that you are better than us just because you are blessed by the Light and we are demons because we have Dark powers and we don't operate like you do. Because we have different abilities and because we were a threat to you, that automatically makes us fiends."

"We were right though. You all did turn out to be demons and fiends," she retorted flatly. She said it like it was a fact because it was one.

Terra had a lot more to say but he was just not in the mood to argue with her anymore. Instead, he began roughly discarding his armor, taking his rage out on the gloomy, bulky equipment. He did not even bother putting it all on the mannequin. He simply slung the chunks of metal around the room. He would care about neatness when he stopped seeing red.

* * *

It was getting close to their bedtime. Terra needed to get some sleep. He couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever but he was dreading getting in that bed with her. Not only did he not want to be anywhere near her because of their most recent argument, he was also a bit concerned that he would be swarmed by more eccentric dreams. However, he was also so exhausted from the sleep deprivation he experienced the night before that he almost didn't give a damn.

"No more dreams, Terra. Don't be demented," he scolded himself as he slouched forward and glared at his striking doppelgänger in the mirror.

Sighing deeply, he left the safety of his bathroom and saw that Aqua was already dressed for bed. She was in one of the many white silk slips she had been given to sleep in. She was seated in the center of the bed with her legs crisscrossed in front of her while she twisted her fingertips and looking contemplative.

It was a subtle, simple action and position but Terra couldn't help but find it endearing.

The Keyblade Master quickly shook his head as if it would remove the contaminated thoughts before he leapt nimbly onto the bed like a moth to a flame. Passively, he mimicked her position and sat in front of her.

"Your pretty agile for your size," she mocked venomously but she did not look at him. She chose instead to play with the stitching on the bedspread.

"I have to be. It’s part of the job," the Dark Knight responded arrogantly as he placed his hands under his chin and intently watched the girl in front of him.

Silence. Aqua was choosing to ignore the Dark Knight reference for all the obvious reasons. It was probably for the best. They would just end up fighting about it anyway.

"How old are you?" Aqua broke the silence first, her eyes flickering up to regard him briefly.

"Twenty-one," he answered simply. "And you?"

"Eighteen.”

_Hmm, that seems about right. I figured I was a bit older than her._

They sat that way for a long time, in the silence that always came after their frequent arguments. Neither wanting to speak and neither wanting to start another fight. Terra was also too mesmerized by her simple movements to speak. He was intrigued and hypnotized by her even though he had absolutely _no_ idea why.

"Terra?”

Midnight blue eyes rose and peered at her lovely face. “Hmm?”

"I'm really tired. Can we go to sleep?" she questioned but didn’t wait for his answer. She crawled in the direction of her pillow, somehow knowing he would follow.

Terra did not answer but he began pulling back the covers and fluffing his pillow while Aqua nestled into her side of the bed with her back facing him as always.

The Keyblade Master watched her for a moment before he took his place behind her and secured his arms around her thin waist. Terra had recently stopped using the barrier of blankets and had started simply holding her so that he could get under the covers as well. Aqua objected vigorously at first but she appeared to be reluctantly adjusting to the new form of containment.

As Terra spent more time with her, it became easier for him to share a bed with her and he started trying to find new ways to get comfortable. He had realized that actually holding the girl around her toned middle underneath the sheets and blankets was much more comfortable than holding her though cumbersome amounts of covering. He much preferred embracing her slender form instead of the layers of fabric that surrounded her. It was more comfortable and it was also easier for him to pick up on her movements. It was a win-win for him.

Once Aqua stilled, he detained her by her waistline and buried his face in her lavender-scented hair and the back of her ivory neck.

At some point, she had stopped crying herself to sleep each night. That or he had just gotten so used to it he stopped hearing it… Either way, they were both able to get to sleep quicker. The sleeping arrangement was getting easier. After a few disputes, pushes, and complaints from Aqua, they drifted into an _almost_ gratifying slumber.

* * *

Cold. It was freezing cold. Within the night’s lingering blackness, she was shivering and trembling uncontrollably. Instinctively, she backed into the warmth that she felt radiating behind her but she still could not get warm.

_I am freezing…_

Tremors violently rushed throughout her body as she wrapped her arms around herself in vain to ward off the unnatural chill. The blankets that enveloped her could not save her from the bitter cold that was gradually swallowing her whole, eating away at her from the inside out. She whined and groaned in pain while roughly flipped and flopped in bed. The pain persisted and intensified until she rolled over to face the heat source behind her.

"What is it?" Terra softly grumbled incoherently as he felt Aqua's aggressive shivering followed by her hysterically burying herself into his chest.

Sleepy, navy-blue eyes hovered open and he placed a hand on her shoulder. He was about to shake her awake, but she was like ice. Aqua always had a natural coolness to her skin but this was a bitter, uncomfortable cold and caused him to snatch his hand away as if he had been burned.

_Her body is fighting the magic suppressant. It has thrown her body off-balance._

Despite his better judgment, something inside him compelled him to help her. He could not let her suffer, not when he could help her...

Making sure not to wake her, the knight gently pulled her closer to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shuddering body and held her to him. Aqua did not embrace him, but she placed her clenched fists on his chest and hid her face in the crook of his snug neck.

Terra shifted and tenderly repositioned himself as well as the frozen girl against him until he was sure she was in a comfortable position. After a few moments, he decided to place his cheek on top of her head and try to go back to sleep despite the intense discomfort he felt from holding her.

 _Warm. It is good and warm…_ she thought inwardly as she compressed herself further against the cozy heat.

* * *

Icy, cobalt eyes fluttered open and Aqua slowly began to realize she was not on her normal side of the bed. She was on something warm, sturdy, and almost soft.

Tan skin and rippling muscles filled her vision as she wiggled against the heated object. Her porcelain legs shifted and she realized one of her legs was draped over the lap of _thing_ she was laying on top of. Aqua's tiny-balled fists rested on the plains of the unknown object's chest while her head rested underneath its chin. A thick masculine hand was resting on the curve of her waist while its head was lightly positioned on top of hers.

Timid, baby blue eyes traveled up the chiseled torso to a familiar face.

She was asleep on the captain of the Dark Knight's chest. His smoldering eyes were closed and his face was peaceful and tranquil as he continued to sleep.

Panic swelled in her throat until a scream burst from her lips. Frantic, Aqua reeled off Terra’s chest and into the floor.

The Dark Knight jolted awake and watched as Aqua and half of his bedding plummeted to the floor.

Terra had been expecting Aqua to have an unpleasant reaction to waking up facing him but he wasn't expecting her reaction to be so strong.

Groaning, he squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"W-Why did you move me?!" she screeched while attempting to sit upright on the floor.

"I didn't. You did it on your own," Terra countered while he continued to lie on his back and rub his weary eyes.

"Then why didn't you wake me up?!" Aqua wailed as she clumsily fixed the strap of her slip that had dropped off her shoulder during her fall.

"I was going to but you were having a hypothermic episode,” the knight said nonchalantly as he placed his hands behind his head and stretched his powerful torso.

"I-I what?” she questioned as she shakily fixed her disheveled hair.

"Your body was fighting the magic suppressant Vexen gave you. As a result, your body temperature lowered more than it should as your body tried to revive your powers. Your body is off-balance due to the suppressant so your body is doing unusual things. You got cold, rolled over to face me to get warm, and I let you. I don't know how or when I got on my back and you got on top of me. I slept through that part of our evening," he replied with brutal honesty, not disturbed by the situation in the slightest.

Aqua felt sick and not because of her body clashing with what remained of the foreign substance in her body. She had been cuddling with Terra and she vaguely recalled doing it. She could recall being cold and the intense quivering…then she remembered finding something warm… No, she had found Terra.

Nauseous, shaken, and downright unnerved, Aqua staggered to her feet and stumbled out into the hallway. The instant she was outside, she was frigid again. She covered her freezing arms with her hands but it didn’t help. In fact it made it worse.  It hurt, like trying to generate heat with sleet. Her fingers felt like icicles ripping away at her skin. Her inner blizzard was going wild. What was normally a comforting cool wind was now a raw bone-chilling snowstorm that she had no control over.

Terra was right. Her body was reacting to the magic suppressant, and it was desperately trying to regain its natural abilities. Aqua could _barely_ sense her magic, but her body kept lowering her temperature to unnatural lows as it tried to reestablish its severed connection.

_It is coming back. I can feel it. It is faint and distant, but it is returning._

Whispers and giggles invaded her ears as she held her aching head in her numb hands. It stung but she kept her hands pressed to her temples. The maids and servants were tittering into their hands as they shamelessly pointed at her while guards and Dark Knights wandered the hallways, staring at her, eyeing her like prey, like she was insane…

It was then that Aqua remembered she was still in the vivacious night-gown and she had just ran out of Terra's room. She was sure they were all assuming she and the knight were doing _much_ more than simply sleeping together. She was positive they all thought Terra was having his way with her nightly. Her face flushed as she held her head down so that her hair would conceal her. Not that it would do much good, she was the only girl within a thousand mile radius with blue hair…

"Terra!" one of the guards in the hallway called and frantically knocked on the door Aqua had slammed behind her in her frenzy.

"She is fine," Terra responded casually from inside the room long before the guard had the opportunity to voice his concern.

Eventually, Terra entered the hallway as well and stood at Aqua's left but she didn't look at him or even acknowledge him. 

Aqua stood freezing in the hallway with Terra silently watching her for a while, hating herself for what she had done, for finding comfort in him. How could her tormentor also be her salvation from her ailment? She couldn't stop replaying what she had done in her head, knowing the only time the acidic, icy burning of her skin stopped was when she came into contact with his skin, knowing he was the only thing that could make it better. And the worst part was that a part of her wanted him to take it away again, to offer her relief. He was so close and the cold hurt so much...

No, she would accept the pain and the cold. It was welcomed over accepting the fact that Terra was the only thing that made it better. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. It made her sicker than the chemicals bubbling inside her ever could. Her head began to spin, her vision blurred, and she was suddenly even _more_ nauseous. All the blood drained from her face and pooled into the soles of her feet as the reverie again took root inside her.

"Are you better now?" Terra finally inquired when he grew tired of the silence and her both literal and figurative cold shoulder. He propped his strong shoulder against the wall beside her to regard her fully. 

"I don't know," she answered as she slid down the wall and buried her face in her raised knees.

"Well, I am going to get ready. Stay out here until you get a hold of yourself, but don't forget that you have lessons today," Terra stated bluntly before he disappeared into his room.

The whole situation was driving Aqua insane. She was cold, confused, alone, and scared. More than anything she missed her family… She missed her home and she missed not being helplessly trapped inside the Dark Capital.

Waking up like that with Terra had sent her over the edge. It was just too much. It was a bitter unpleasant reminder of how comfortable she was getting there. That was what the Overlords wanted. It was part of the rehabilitation and it terrified her that things may be working in their favor. Things could be unfolding exactly as they wanted them to and she was powerless against it. She had no way of knowing if she was progressing as they wanted. All she could do was hope that she could endure it all and that she would keep her sanity as well as her Light.

_I won't let it go… I won't let them extinguish it…_

* * *

After about a month of recovery, traveling through towns, and riding Snow through endless amounts of terrain, Riku had finally reached the Land of Departure.

Normally, Riku could have made the trip in a shorter amount of time but he was still recovering from the nasty concussion he received in Amur. He was also not use to riding a chocobo. Not to mention, Snow had been a apprehensive about his new temporary owner, but eventually, the two had managed to reach some form of agreement. The worst part was convincing Snow to leave Amur without Aqua. The faithful companion had refused to leave without his rightful master for hours before finally deciding to heed Riku's commands.

The silver-haired Keyblade Master dismounted the white chocobo with blue tipped feathers and approached the ruins of the Land of Departure.

Naminé was sitting at the bottom of the massive lavender steps that led to the aging, golden castle. The blonde girl wearing a small white dress covered in lacy trim sat with her legs crossed as she peacefully drew in her sketchpad. Shining blue eyes rose as she sensed the young man approaching her.

"Riku!" she called as she dropped her sketchpad on the steps and ran to her old friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, Xion, and Ventus. Are they here?" he inquired and glanced behind her in the direction of the fortress.

"Mm hmm. They are inside," Naminé stated before grabbing his hand and pulled him in the direction of the golden castle.

They entered the large entryway and made their way up the spiral staircase before they entered the elaborate throne room.

"Ventus!" she called while gently tugging Riku through the castle's beautiful throne room. "Riku is here!"

"Riku?" Xion questioned with worried eyes as she ascended one of the stairways that led down to the student's living quarters.

"Hi, Xion," greeted Riku with a forced smile.

"I am glad to see you but I assume this is not a casual visit," she replied.

"I wish that it was.” Riku couldn’t keep eye contact with her. He could only stare at the floor in defeat.

"What's wrong?" Xion walked toward him and he could feel Naminé squeezing his index and middle fingers.

"Riku? What brings you all the way here?" Ventus inquired calmly, walking towards him with dignity and purpose.

Riku could tell by looking at him that he had assumed the role of Master of the castle. Again, Ventus had been forced to grow up before his time. Riku knew that Ventus's parents had been killed in a Purge and he had been forced to raise and protect his sisters at a young age. Now he had to do it again…

"It’s Aqua.” Riku saw no point in avoiding it. He might as well get to the point.

Ventus's big blue eyes dilated and his breath hitched in his throat. Naminé and Xion exchanged glances before looking back at their older brother.

"What about her?" Ven took a step toward Riku. His voice was weak and shaky and full of false confidence. He was terrified of what Riku would say but he wouldn’t let it show. Not yet.

"As you know…she left…" Riku hesitantly continued.

"Yes," said Ventus blankly.

He knew she left. Ventus was brutally reminded of it every minute of every day that he went without seeing her. Every day he stayed in the Land of Departure instead of going after her he died a little more inside.

Despite the ever-present desire to chase after her, there were still many reasons he refrained. He knew he could not go after her when he had no idea where she was going. He knew she had gone after Kairi and he also knew that it meant she could have gone _anywhere_. Ven also had to think of his sisters. He did not want to take them on a dangerous wild goose chase when Aqua left on her own volition. She was grown and it was her choice. He could not stop it or change it. No matter how guilty he felt…

"Aqua came to me in Naefre. She told me and DiZ about the Purge here, about how Kairi and Master Eraqus were taken and imprisoned," Riku explained and Naminé finally released his hand. "DiZ refused to help her…but I offered to go with her to help her find Kairi. I didn't want her looking for a needle in a haystack by herself."

Ventus nodded for him to continue as Xion and Naminé listened intently, silently.

"So I proposed that we go to Doma. Doma is where a lot of former Dark Knights go after they retire or desert. I thought we might find some information on the Dark Realm prisons if we went there.” The Overwhelming sense of failure began to consume Riku’s insides with each syllable he uttered. "But we never made it there." His icy eyes dropped to the floor. He could not stand making eye contact with Aqua's foster family anymore. The guilt, the shame it was too much.

"What do you mean?" Xion inquired softly.

"We made a pit stop in Amur. I wanted us to stay there. We were both tired and Doma was still far away. It would have taken us a few more days to get there even with Snow. So we decided to stop there for the night and recuperate." Riku desperately wanted to sit down somewhere before he dropped the final bombshell but there was nowhere for him to sit so he merely shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "But they saw us coming."

"They?" Ventus questioned even though he knew who the ‘they’ Riku spoke of were.

"I guess the Seer Sages were tracking her… When we got to Amur, the Dark Knights were there as if they were waiting on us. They knew we were coming and they were ready for us.” Riku’s hands clenched tightly at his sides until his palms began to hurt.

"I didn't think they would have caught onto us so fast. I never would have guessed that they were watching her and her potential movements that closely…”

"Riku, what happened in Amur?" Ven pleaded and gripped Riku's shoulders. He was moments away from shaking him. He just knew Riku was about to tell him that Aqua was dead, that the Dark Knights had killed her…

"They took her. Terra took her. They didn't want me. They only wanted her. I don't know why they wanted her so badly, all I know is that they were bound and determined to take her," said Riku as he unwillingly glanced up to meet Ven’s gaze. "I fought for her. I fought Vanitas and Saïx as long as I could but I could not stop Terra from going after her. They knocked me out and when I came to, I was in some elderly couple's home and she was long gone."

"Ventus, we have to go after her!" Xion cried.

"That is why I came here. If we are going to help her, we need to all work together. I-I can't help her on my own…" Riku timidly admitted.

 _I don't know if we can help her even if we do work together_ , Riku added privately.

"How can we help her?" Ventus asked vacantly as he crouched down onto the floor and grabbed fistfuls of his hair. "They could have taken her anywhere… She may not even be alive anymore!"

"That is why we need to get out there and find out," Riku countered.

"Where do we even look, Riku?" Ventus straightened his posture a bit so he could glance up at him.

"Everywhere." Riku gave an oblivious shrug.

"Someone, somewhere has to know _something_ ," Naminé chimed in delicately. "We can start in Amur and follow the clues from there."

"I hate to be the one to mention it but sometimes they put up wanted posters and lists of people awaiting executions throughout the towns…" Xion remarked and glanced at her older brother. "If we find her name on the list, we would know if she was alive or not…or if she is awaiting execution or--"

"Or she could be executed already," Ven said coldly. "If she is already dead, she won't be on the execution posts."

"Do you have a better idea?!" Xion glared at her older sibling.

"Look, we need to assume that she is alive," Riku interrupted, attempting to dissolve some of the tension. "I suggest that we listen to Naminé. We should start at Amur and try to track her from there. We will just have to start marking off the places that she isn't. It may take a while before we get any kind of solid lead but I am willing to do whatever it takes and I know that all of you are, too."

"We will search forever if we have to," Ventus declared, his tone thick with resolve. "I just don't… I couldn't stand the thought of her being dead…of her being dead already… I just… I didn't want to find her like that…if she is gone forever…I guess I just didn't want to know…"

"Ven…" Naminé hugged her brother's arm.

"None of us want to think about that. I don't want to learn that she has been killed either but we have to try. She needs us. She would do the same for any of us,” said Xion confidently.

"So it's decided then?" Riku added with a bit more enthusiasm.

"Yes," Ventus said with newfound determination. "We will leave for Amur in the morning."


	9. What Is and What Should Never Be

“Do we have to?” Terra groaned as he stood inside the massive Grand Hall before his monarchs. 

“Yes. If Aqua has a successful rehabilitation and becomes one of us, she will be expected to attend such events just as everyone else is,” Xehanort answered, slouching in his gigantic throne of black metal and extravagant ruby cushions. 

The Dark Knight subtly rolled his eyes that contained only the deepest hues of blue. 

“Aqua has performed commendably over the past few months as have you as her caretaker,” the elderly sovereign added. 

Terra wanted to laugh when Lord Xehanort called him her caretaker. 

 _I am not a caretaker. I am more like a rabid watchdog…_

“Think of tonight’s Fall Banquet as a break or a reward.” Lord Xehanort attempted yet again to break through Terra’s unwavering resentment. However, he was not making the Dark Knight any more willing. Terra did not want to go to this banquet or ball or whatever it was. He did not care if it was a ‘break’. He did not want to attend. 

“This is also a test for Aqua,” Lord Ansem announced, watching the young captain squirm in displeasure before them. 

Terra’s dark brow rose in suspicion. 

“Tonight will be a great opportunity to examine her progress,” Xemnas stated and glanced across the thrones at Ansem. “Keep a close eye on her and continue to inform us of her activity.” 

“Yes. This will be an excellent chance to see how she will react in a different setting,” Xehanort agreed with a nod. 

“Are you asking me to be more lenient with her?” Terra inquired. 

 _Because I have already kind of been doing that…_ he added inwardly. 

“Indeed. Tonight is a somewhat informal setting for all of you. Do not let her do anything she shouldn’t, but allow her to attend and socialize as anyone else would.” Lord Xemnas casually rested his foot across one of his knees.

These social gatherings were intended to be for everyone’s benefit. They were supposed to give Dark Knights, Seer Sages, standard guards, or any other servant of the Dark Rule a chance to unwind and socialize with civilians as well as each other. It was supposed to take the edge off and keep all of them happy and sane. The events were also great opportunities for the Overlords to show off their immense wealth and their talented protégé in a casual setting. 

Terra hated banquets and the Fall Banquet was no exception. It signified the end of summer and the beginning of fall, not that he gave a fuck. 

For Terra, the banquets and balls were excuses for him to get as drunk as humanly possible. He would drink so much that he would not have to remember it the next morning. The intense hangover was worth it to him, unless he found a female companion to make the night worthwhile. If he brought a girl back to his room, he could not be too drunk. He had his reputation to uphold. 

However, tonight he couldn’t do either of these things. He couldn’t get laid because of Blue and he couldn’t get wasted to the point of amnesia because of Blue. He had to watch her. 

Terra took a deep breath and gently exhaled through his nostrils to calm himself. 

“You have the rest of the day off, Terra. You are dismissed,” Lord Xehanort declared before placing his willowy hands underneath his bearded chin. 

“Yes, my Lord.” Terra bowed before turning to exit. 

Once he was out of the Grand Hall, his façade instantly fell. His emotionless expression immediately turned into a discontented scowl. 

Now, he had to get _her._ She had to get ready for the shit fest tonight. Terra did not care of Luxord objected to her lesson being cut short; he was not leaving without her. The knight refused to make two trips and he was not going to wait around all day for Blue.

Terra stomped down the hall in a heated frenzy, his cape rolling and surging behind him from his blistering pace.

A male servant carrying a tray full of pitchers, bottles of champagne, wine glasses, and elegant cups for the banquet did not get out of his path quick enough and was quickly barreled through and catapulted into a nearby wall. The dinnerware did not break or fall but it did shuffle and clink together from the collision.

“Excuse me, Master Terra,” the servant apologized shakily although the crash was not his fault. 

The captain did not respond. He only continued his rapid trek down the blood red hallways lined with lovely floral designs, Dark Realm tapestries, and legendary weaponry. 

Upon reaching Luxord’s study within the palace, Terra began to punish the door with his metal fist. 

“It’s open,” Luxord’s sleek voice replied from inside the office. 

Steel-plated hands grasped the doorknob and slung the door open. 

Once inside, Terra saw that Roxas and Demyx were in the study along with Aqua and Luxord. 

That was another reason Terra hated banquets. Everyone was home and everyone was buzzing around with vast amounts of displaced excitement. 

The Dark Knight replaced the oversized door with his body and planted his arms on both sides of the doorway and stared inside the room. 

Either this was the most laid back lesson Terra had ever seen or everyone inside this room was simply goofing off. Cards, poker chips, and dice were everywhere. Aqua and Roxas were wrapped up in an innocent game of cards and Luxord appeared to be sorting through his winnings from a previous match. Terra doubted Aqua participated in any form of gambling but Demyx and Roxas probably had. They had probably lost everything in their pockets too. Luxord was the king of card games and gambling. 

Aqua was giggling and chatting with Roxas during a game of what Terra assumed to be either Go Fish or Old Maid. Across the room in an enormous mahogany armchair playing his sitar was Demyx. He appeared to have retired after likely losing all his munny to Luxord and had vouched to find a less costly form of entertainment. 

“Hi, Terra,” Roxas called from his perch on Luxord's desk. Aqua was seated sophisticatedly next to him. Her eyes left Roxas and wandered across the room to Terra’s large form. Aqua shifted on the desk and gave him a faint smile, her eyes drifting uncomfortably to the lush crimson carpet of the study.

The Child of Light still didn’t like looking directly at him for prolonged periods of time, but she would offer him small smiles now. The elfin smiles had become the highlight of Terra’s days. He looked forward to them each day and found himself disappointed if he did not receive at least one from her. 

 _She has a beautiful smile,_ he mused. 

However, Terra couldn’t help but notice Aqua did not beam at him as she did at Roxas, but he was still happy to receive any form of smile from her. He was not picky. It was still a vast improvement over the dirty looks she used to give him. 

“What are you two doing here?” Terra questioned, glancing back and forth between the intruders. 

Demyx began tuning one of the sitar’s strings. “We were bored and decided we wanted to see what Aqua was learning today.” 

“I am sure you two need the lessons more than she does.” Terra smirked. 

Roxas pretended to laugh while Luxord actually chuckled at Terra’s remark. 

“I can tell you are all extremely busy,” Terra said sarcastically, purposely eyeing the fanned out cards in Aqua and Roxas’ hands, “but Blue has to come with me. She is done for the day.” 

Terra still refused to call Aqua by her real name even though she had been with them for months. It was too personal… It was unprofessional. At first, he called her Blue because he didn’t know her name. It was just the first thing that came to mind when he looked at her, but now that he knew her name, he continued to call her Blue out of habit and impudence and maybe a touch of spite. 

“Can we play one more game?” Roxas asked, shuffling the deck of cards around. 

Aqua glanced at Terra as they awaited his answer. His eyes narrowed in contemplation and ironclad fingertips impatiently drummed on each side of the doorframe. 

He could say yes. He could allow her to play with Roxas but he didn’t really want her to. Terra did not like the way she beamed at Roxas. He did not like how they played together. How carefree she was with him. He wasn’t jealous… He was just… _vigilant_ … 

“No. We need to go,” Terra replied, his fingertips continuing to tap the wood of the doorway. 

Nodding her understanding, Aqua slid gracefully off the desk she and Roxas were sitting on. 

“Oh, come on, Terra! Don’t be such a party pooper!” Demyx teased while strumming his instrument. 

Aqua giggled into her porcelain hands. 

 _Her laugh isn’t half bad either._  

Terra did not respond to the ridicule, instead he released the doorway and snapped his fingers for his responsibility to follow him. 

“Bring her back tomorrow,” Luxord said and took Aqua’s place next to Roxas. 

Again, Terra didn’t reply. 

“So where are you dragging me off to now?” Aqua inquired once they entered the hallway. It was bustling with activity. She weaved through the crowd of servants and housekeepers preparing the palace for the night’s festivities, struggling to keep up with Terra’s brisk pace. 

“I am taking you to Larxene,” Terra said flatly. 

“Why?” she asked and watched the workers scurry around carrying food, dinnerware, and large floral arrangements.

“Tonight is the Fall Banquet and you have been asked to attend,” the Dark Keyblade Master responded in a deadpan tone and glanced over his shoulder at Aqua. 

“I figured something was up considering the way everyone is running around here today,” she replied, accidentally looking directly at Terra when she did. 

They held each other’s gaze for a moment. His eyes mesmerized Aqua just like they did the first time their eyes met. They were the most unique shade of blue. She could not think of another person with eyes quite like his. Their endless blue sucked her right in. She felt as though she would drown in their deep midnight blue depths if she peered at them for too long. 

Aqua licked her suddenly dry lips as her cheeks subtly began to flush. Her cobalt eyes ripped away from his smoldering gaze and her face continued to heat up. She held her head down so that her sapphire tresses would hide her growing blush. 

Something about inspecting his eyes always embarrassed her. She always resented herself for looking at him for too long. It was something she consistently tried to avoid. It did not matter how long she was in Hollow Bastion or how much time she spent with Terra, she still did not like regarding him… 

The sound of the Dark Knight banging on Larxene’s door brought Aqua out of her turbulent and slightly confusing thoughts. 

“Dress!” he called in an irritated tone and continued assaulting Larxene’s door. 

Aqua loved how to the point Terra was. It amused her to watch him do things he did not enjoy doing. 

“I’m working on it!” the seeress snapped from inside the bedroom. 

The knight rolled his eyes and glanced at Aqua who had an amused look on her ethereal face. 

“What?” 

Aqua chuckled.  “You are just so blunt.” She laughed a bit more. “It’s just kind of funny.” 

Terra smirked and watched her simple enjoyment. 

Larxene opened her door and hurled a white garment at Aqua. When she caught the dress, Terra noticed the sheer, thin fabric of the formal clothing. 

 “Don’t you have something…warmer?” he questioned. 

“Nope. It is this or nothing. I don’t exactly have a lot of clothes in her size. She is too skinny for most of my clothes,” Larxene hissed and eyeballed Aqua’s petite figure contemptibly. 

 _I’m not **that** skinny. I am just not as…voluptuous as you, _ the Keyblade wielder rebuked. 

“Fine,” Terra replied, turning on his heel to journey down the hallway. 

“I can get you a jacket or a shawl or something,” he offered as soon as they were far enough away from Larxene. He did not want Aqua to freeze. It was almost time for her to receive her monthly dose of magic suppressant and he knew that her body temperature could drop dramatically. 

“No. I should be ok. The suppressant doesn’t bother me like it use to. I mean, I still get cold but it isn’t like it was a first.” Aqua inspected the dress and held it out in front of her. “I only get a bit colder than I normally would. You know, without the suppressant.” 

The injection made Aqua a lot warmer than she would be normally. Blizzard was her element and it affected her physically. It was the first spell she ever conjured it came naturally to her just like breathing. Master Eraqus had told her that she could learn many other spells but Blizzard would always be her element. It was what made her skin naturally yet slightly chilled. The strong connection she had to her element made her body constantly aware of it, made her body mimic it. It was as if her body was always ready to conjure Blizzard at any moment…at least it use to be. Aqua could even lower her body temperature to even more unnatural lows to summon even more powerful renditions of the spell…at least she use to. 

Aqua glanced over at Terra. His element was earth. She often wondered if that was what made him so stubborn. 

“Can I dress myself or will I have to be violated again?” Aqua grumbled and held the dress over her frame. 

“The maids will come to my room to dress you. You will only be violated if you misbehave,” the knight replied and desperately wrestled with his guilt. 

He did not want to feel guilty. He couldn’t feel guilty. It was supposed to be against his nature. Dark Knights were not supposed to regret or feel guilty about anything! But he was guilty. He could not help it. He felt moderately guilty for how he treated her that night… 

“Will I always have to wear white?” she inquired. “I mean, I don’t have a problem with white. I love white, but do I always have to wear it?” 

Terra shrugged. “Probably. It is to show everyone that you are being rehabilitated and that you are a Child of Light. It is a statement.” 

Aqua sighed. “Oh well.”

* * *

Everything was beginning to feel a bit too much like déjà vu. Terra had not thought of his dream much since he had it a little over a month ago, but this banquet was causing dormant memories to resurface. 

As he stood in the hallway waiting for the housemaids to finish dressing and prepping Aqua for the evening, his mind kept wandering. He was even dressed like he had been in his dream. He was in his black suit with a loose, white button up shirt underneath it. The shirt was not buttoned at the top, revealing the top of his muscular chest.

Terra was not one for ties. Getting him in a suit at all was an amazing feat. 

He leaned against one of the walls of the hallway, pulled back the bottom of his tuxedo jacket, and placed his hands in his pockets. 

“She is ready,” one of the female servants announced, leaving Terra’s room and entering the hallway. “She was hardly any trouble at all this time.” 

Terra bobbed his head in approval and watched the maids slowly leave his room one by one. Navy eyes watched the doorway intently, waiting for girl with blue in her features to appear. After the last housekeeper exited the room, she emerged and entered the vermillion hallway. 

Her flawless face was tinted pink and her body was adorned in a short sleeveless white dress. The dress was heart shaped at the top around her breasts and hung loosely on her supple curves. The neck of the garment was made of intricate lace designs that covered the upper portion of her chest and elegant neck. The sheer lace wrapped snugly around her neck and coated her inner shoulders, modestly covering her upper body after the garment itself ceased.   

“You look nice,” Terra complimented calmly and watched her exquisite features. 

Aqua’s hair was left down this time. The maids did not pull her hair into a bun on the back of her head. They allowed the watery locks to flow freely around her. 

“My hair is a mess. They couldn’t do a thing with it. I--” Aqua complained, running her slender, ivory fingers through her wavy, sapphire tresses before her cobalt eyes widened as his words sunk in. When they did, she froze. 

“Did you just compliment me?” she asked skeptically. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him. 

Terra shrugged. “I guess. Make of it what you want.” 

“Oh. Well, thanks anyway,” Aqua replied nervously and folded her hands in front of her. 

“Ready?” he asked and removed himself from the wall. 

“Mm hmm.” Aqua took a few steps toward him. “Are you?” 

“Fuck, no,” Terra complained gruffly and they began walking down the lengthy corridors. 

“Are they that bad?” 

Terra exhaled harshly. “To me they are.” 

After a few twists and turns, they arrived at the colossal doors of the ballroom. Aqua had never been to this part of the palace before and she began to twiddle her fingers. 

Terra smiled faintly before he mimicked a gentleman and offered Aqua his arm. 

The Keyblade wielder hesitated and stared at the extended appendage. Anxiously, she continued to fidget with her fingertips and weighed her options. The roar of the crowd inside the building was growing louder and louder. Hoards of people were passing them and entering the extravagant ballroom but she didn’t budge or take Terra’s arm. 

“I won’t bite,” said Terra, waiting for Aqua to make her decision. 

 _Unless you want me to_ , he thought before mentally slapping himself across the face for such an absurd notion. 

Aqua sighed deeply and finally took his strong arm in defeat. 

“Now was that so terrible?” Terra teased, leaning toward her. His sultry breath tickled at her neck and teased her velvety skin. 

Aqua rolled her sparkling eyes. “Yes.” 

She had to admit she liked Terra better this way. The cloth of his tuxedo was much more comforting than the harsh armor she was use to while they were outside their-- his room. 

A guard clad in simple onyx armor opened the door for them after Terra nodded for him to do so. Aqua instinctively pulled Terra closer to her. The dim light within the ballroom violated her eyes as she was led her into the massive room. 

Huge windows lined each side of the gigantic room and stretched to the limitless ceiling. Deep hues of gold, burgundy, silver, and umber blanketed every inch of the tremendous room that was filled to the brim with people. Ornate, overelaborate chandeliers shone with a dull, unholy, yellow glow. 

Aqua was not surprised to see three thrones filled with three monarchs at the head of the room atop a monumental stairwell that narrowed at its apex. The monarchs were seated at the head of the room so they could watch over everyone within the room. 

 _Just like they have to watch over everything everyone does…_ Aqua thought bitterly. 

The floor they walked on was sleek, flawless, and covered in the same burgundy and tawny colors as the hand crafted walls. Everything within the room looked expensive and screamed wealth and prosperity. 

Again, the female Keyblade wielder noticed that she was the only one wearing white. Once more, she was the sore thumb and the outcast, a lamb amongst the voracious wolves. 

Terra escorted Aqua through the sea of faceless unknown people and inspected the area for a gap. 

“Are there always this many people?” Aqua questioned loudly as she was ushered through the countless amounts of individuals. 

“Sometimes,” Terra called back, “but there are probably more because we haven’t had a banquet in a while. Plus you are here.” 

Aqua’s eardrums were being bashed in by the crowd’s voices and conversations. Unfortunately, she was the subject of many of them. 

 _“Is that her?”_

_“She is lovely.”_

_“How bizarre…”_

_“Positively dreadful.”_

_“They do look good together, don’t they?”_

_“Why is he with her?”_

_“Uncivilized heathen.”_

_“She will be executed eventually.”_

_“Why is her hair that color, Mommy?”_

_“I give her another week.”_  

“Thirsty?” Terra’s familiar, merciful voice rang in crystal clear despite the overlapping chatter that filled the luxurious room. 

“Um, can I have some water?” she asked and Terra leaned forward to listen to her. 

He shook his head and leaned toward her again, his warms lips grazing the flesh of her ear. “They only serve wine at these things.” 

Aqua turned and stood on her tiptoes in order to speak into Terra’s ear. Otherwise, she knew he wouldn’t be able to hear her over the merciless chatter and mirth around them. “That’s fine I will just get some water afterwards. I wasn’t that thirsty anyway.” 

“Suit yourself!” he shouted, grabbing a glass full of wine off one of the trays a servant was carrying across the room. 

Terra was not surprised in the slightest that Aqua did not indulge in alcohol. 

“You guys made it!” Roxas called as he barreled through the immense crowd of people. 

At the sight of Roxas, Terra quickly chugged down half of the sparkling water. He was going to need it if he was going to get through his evening. 

Terra loved Roxas as a brother-- an annoying, childish, overbearing, little bother. 

Roxas was a prodigy. He was the first Keyblade Master and Dark Knight who was capable of dual wielding and he was also the youngest elite Dark Knight in service. Roxas had gone through the ranks almost as swiftly as Terra had. However, things had come much more easily for Roxas than they had for Terra… 

Aqua nodded elegantly and continued to hold onto Terra’s powerful arm. Neither of them had noticed the contact was being prolonged. 

“Want to dance?” the younger knight held his hand out for Aqua. 

When Terra heard the question he instantly downed the rest of his champagne. 

“If it is alright with Terra?” Aqua suggested and peered up at her guardian. 

“Sure. Whatever. Go,” he replied harshly, tossing his empty glass back onto another tray a servant was towing on his shoulder. 

Terra was not shocked that Aqua preferred the Roxas and Demyx to him. They were milder knights and they were not used for the same kind of tasks as he was. They were nice, and nice was not Terra’s thing. 

Aqua was indecisive and apprehensive even though Terra had voiced his permission. After a moment of contemplation, she released his arm and took Roxas’s hand. Her caretaker picked up another glass of wine. 

While Aqua was off dancing with Roxas, Terra downed his second, but certainly not his last, glass of bubbly. 

“Hitting the booze already, eh, Terra?” Xigbar goaded and slapped the Dark Knight’s back forcefully. 

Terra coughed and hunched forward, his spilled drink trickling off his face and sliding through his fingers before splashing onto the ground. 

“Where is poppet?” the Elder glanced around for the missing girl. 

“Dancing with Roxas,” Terra snapped, still wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“You just let her run off with Roxas?” 

“Yep.” 

“Don’t let your guard down. She may look like an angel, but she is still an untamed beast,” the one eyed man heeded before he disappeared into the crowd. 

“She may look like an angel but she is still a beast!” the almost tipsy knight mocked in an idiotic tone. 

The sound of Axel’s uproarious laughter resonated nearby. Apparently, he was close enough to hear Terra’s ridicule of the Elder. 

“He thinks I am going soft,” Terra scoffed and glanced at Axel who was now at his right.  

“You know that is what they do to keep us on our toes. They have done it since we were kids.” 

“I know that but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow,” Terra said, watching Aqua scurry through the crowd. 

After a while, Terra saw Aqua scurrying through the crowd. Roxas had likely run off somewhere else, leaving her alone. Terra raised his hand to get her attention and began inclining his finger, gesturing for her return to him. When her eyes met his, he saw the tension leave her shoulders. A subtle almost unnoticeable smile bloomed on her face and she moved toward him. But before Aqua could reach Terra, an undesirable hand gripped her bare arm and slung her backward. 

“Don’t I get a dance?” Vanitas taunted. 

Terra’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His inner Darkness began to boil over as he watched Vanitas violently yank an unsuspecting Aqua flush against him. The Darkness overflowed and a physical manifestation of the unholy element emerged within one of his brawny hands. 

“Let her go.” Terra clenched his fist and extinguished the gloomy materialization that had erupted from his hand but his temper still raged. 

“Yes, brother dear.” Vanitas ridiculed before releasing her. 

The instant her limb was liberated, Aqua rushed to Terra’s side as if he could save her, as if he would save her. 

“What's the matter, Aqua?” Vanitas pleaded with mock innocence. “Don’t you want to dance with me?” 

“No,” she snapped and seriously considered grabbing fistfuls of Terra’s jacket for comfort but refrained. 

“Come on. I will behave.” the man with golden eyes he extended a hand for her. 

Timidly, Aqua glanced back at Terra who was propped up against a wall with Axel at his side. She wanted him to put an end to this. Her bright cobalt eyes begged him to rescue her from this, from Vanitas but he didn’t budge. 

“It's not like Terra is going to dance with you. He is too good to dance with anyone,” Vanitas took a step toward Aqua who was staring attentively at her guardian. 

Terra wasn’t oblivious. He wasn’t blind. He knew what Aqua wanted. He could read her, but he was not going help her. 

 _I am not that kind of knight._

Her unconventional knight wasn’t going to rescue her. She could tell by the way he had firmly planted himself against the wall with an emotionless expression on his face. 

Sighing heavily and accepting defeat, Aqua reluctantly took the hand of the monster. 

“Aqua looks nice,” Axel said as they watched the duo disappear onto the dance floor. 

“She always looks nice.” Terra took another slug of his strong drink. 

The fiery knight’s brow rose at his friend’s bizarre statement. “I have just never noticed before. Then again I have not spent time with her like you have.” 

“Mm.” 

Dancing with Vanitas was just as unpleasant as Aqua thought it would be, maybe even more so. While dancing with Roxas had been fun and carefree, dancing with Vanitas was rough, rushed, and forceful. He threw her around the dance floor and harshly led her in the directions that he wanted. 

“I think you will make it until…” Vanitas’ golden eyes squinted and roamed over the ceiling as he feigned contemplation. “…January.” 

Vanitas wore a jet-black tuxedo with a crimson vest and bloodstained tie around his repulsive throat. 

“Excuse me?” Aqua inquired and struggled to keep up with Vanitas’s unnatural pace. 

“I think you will be executed in January. You will not have a successful rehabilitation I know that. _Everyone_ knows that,” he said smugly. 

Aqua did not reply, she simply let go of the vermillion monstrosity. 

“Oh, Aqua, don’t be so sensitive!” he called after her as she bumped and wrestled through the growing crowd. 

Aqua was beginning to understand why Terra hated these things.

* * *

The Fall Banquet continued for countless hours. Aqua was sure it was never going to end. Her feet were killing her from all the never-ending dancing. Dark Knights, seers, Elders, noblemen, and even High Elders would ask Aqua to dance and she would be forced to comply. She was sure she had danced with anyone and everyone except Terra. The knight didn’t dance. He just stood next to the wall conversing with Axel and Roxas while he got drunker and drunker. 

After waltzing with a man she had already forgotten the name of, Aqua had enough. She had reached her limit and she needed to get out of the spacious yet suffocating room. Not bothering to seek consent from Terra, she forced her way through the endless amounts of people. None of them had faces anymore. Maybe they never did. Some had mouths but only when they spoke to her. However, she had lost the ability to translate the words that spilled out of them. It was like she had gone deaf or illiterate, like hearing muddled voices underwater. She supposed it didn't matter. The words they spoke were shallow and meaningless anyway. 

When she finally broke through the crowd, she realized she didn’t know where she was going. She supposed she would know when she got there. She had no particular destination in mind. She just wanted a place where she could be quiet, find some peace, and rest her feet. 

Across the ballroom, Terra was good and tipsy but he still noticed Aqua exiting the ballroom. Sighing heavily, he finally disconnected himself from the wall with intricate golden designs and prepared to follow her out of the ballroom.

* * *

The halls of the palace were vacant except for the suits of blackened armor placed sporadically throughout the crimson corridors. Within the silence and emptiness, Aqua realized this was the first time she had been alone in a long time. Someone was _always_ breathing down her neck here. 

Leaning against the nearest wall, Aqua bent down and tore the painful heels off her blistered, aching feet. A sigh of relief flowed from her mouth once she freed her feet and placed them on the flush, red carpeting, the lush texture wriggling between her toes.  

She wasn’t able to close her eyes and indulge the feeling long before voices resonated in the hallway around her. Aqua gasped, scurried into the nearest corridor, and hid behind a massive suit of protective covering. 

“I do not understand why everyone is so infatuated with her!” Aqua heard Larxene wail. “They all act like she is the most interesting thing that has been here in years!” 

“Well, she kind of is,” one of the girls with the seeress replied matter-of-factly. 

“It is just because she is unusual looking. Once the new wears off, they will get bored with her,” another female said. “Plus, she is a Child of Light. Men love that whole innocent thing.” 

“It is just an act. If that girl is sharing a bed with Terra, she is not innocent. Terra would make _damn_ sure of that,” Larxene replied complacently. 

“Terra is just as infatuated with her as all the others,” one of the unknown voices spoke again. 

“That is all it is. Infatuation. It is not like he actually _cares_ about her,” the other woman said. Aqua deflated a little, her eyes falling to the floor. 

“How could he? She may be exotic but she is ugly as sin,” Larxene stated bluntly. Aqua held her breath as the trio strolled past her hiding place. Luckily, they didn’t see her and had vanished further into the belly of the castle. 

Once Aqua was sure they were gone, she emerged from her hiding place and rushed down the opposite hall.

Her bare feet carried her farther than she had originally anticipated. First, out of the palace and then into the Center Square within the capital. After that, they had carried her through the Entryway that led to the Outer Gardens. 

The Outer Gardens were different than the gardens that were closer to Tarnen Palace. These gardens marked the outskirts of the Dark Capital. That was probably why her feet had carried her here. They knew that freedom was beyond this point… 

Cobalt eyes stared longingly at the black gateway that lied at the far end of the garden. The gloomy gate was chained tightly shut with enormous guards on each side of it. Stone columns covered in vines and moss stood on each side of the obstacle that stood between Aqua and unattainable deliverance. 

The familiar thump heavy footsteps reverberated behind her and her shoulders tensed. Apparently, she hadn't been alone after all.

She expected _him_ to say something snarky or scold her but he didn’t. He just stood casually behind her. 

Aqua didn’t look at him. She turned on her heel, walked past him, and crumbled beside the large fountain in the center of the gardens. “Have you come to make fun of me too?” she held her head down, staring intently at the water instead of him. She knew he heard Larxene and the others. She knew that if he was here now, he had been following her since she set foot out of the ballroom. 

Despite the Fall Banquet, Terra had actually managed to get into a pretty good mood with the help of several glasses of wine. He had even taken one of the champagne bottles with him before he left. The knight wanted to take some with him while he followed Aqua. 

“Nah.” Terra took small gulp out of the wine bottle. 

Aqua was not amused. She continued to hold her head down and trace her fingertips though the water of the fountain. She was actually starting to freeze the top layer of water. It was a miniscule display of magic, one that Terra was choosing to ignore. 

“For the record, I don’t think your _that_ ugly.” Terra took a seat next to her. 

“Gee thanks,” she said sarcastically as the water she was attempting to freeze quickly melted. 

“How was your evening? Was it as bad as you thought it would be?” Aqua inquired and glanced over at her caretaker. 

“It could have been worse, but it could have been better. I usually get laid at these things…” Terra was just drunk enough to reveal unnecessary amounts of information. 

“Oh, well, I am sorry that I am preventing you from getting lucky,” the Keyblade wielder gently and almost playfully nudged his shoulder with hers. 

“Its no big deal I usually--” Terra’s voice snagged in his throat. “Did you just make a joke?” This was definitely a first. Aqua had never joked around with him before. 

“Hmm.” Aqua glanced at moon that shined brightly on the water’s rippling surface. “I guess I did.” 

Terra nodded and took another small sip of his champagne before offering the bottle to her. 

Aqua’s nose wrinkled up at the offering. She did not want to drink any of it, but she didn’t want to look too much like a goody goody either… 

Hesitantly, Aqua grabbed the bottle and took the smallest sip of the bubbling water that she could. It was more of an act than an actual drink. She turned the bottle up and allowed the fluid to touch her lips and taste buds before she quickly lowered the bottle and handed it back to Terra. The sip was so small she didn’t even have to swallow. 

The Dark Knight laughed. He knew she wouldn’t actually drink any of it but it amused him that she pretended to try some anyway. 

“What?” the girl questioned as Terra rose to his feet. 

“Nothing.” He chuckled some more. “Let’s go back. I am exhausted.” 

Terra extended his hand for her. Aqua sighed and coldly regarded the invitation. She was skeptical, just like she always was when he offered her anything. 

Chewing on her glossy bottom lip, she mulled it over. Meek azure eyes traveled up Terra’s body to his face. He looked so sincere. Not an inch of dark armor coated his body. The pale moonlight caressed his strong, handsome features, his navy blue eyes watching her earnestly, his features soft instead of hard. 

Her porcelain hand hesistated in midair before she lifelessly placed her limp hand in his His hand was warm and shockingly soft. Aqua had felt his skin innumerable times but she had never felt it on her hand. His snug fingertips tenderly wrapped around her appendage as he carefully lifted her to her feet. She did not envelop her fingers around his big hand, but she did allow him to hold hers, which was more than she had allowed in the past. The physical connection was rapidly severed the instant Aqua was lifted to her feet.

* * *

She would not stop wiggling. It was impossible for her to find a comfortable position within the massive canopy bed and she incessantly tossed, turned, and wrestled with him until he was about to lose his temper. 

“Aqua! Stop it!” he howled when he could take no more. 

 _Son of a bitch! I just called her Aqua. I must be drunker than I thought…_

“I can’t help it!” she complained, her smooth legs kicking and knocking into his. 

 _Good. She didn’t notice my slip up._  

While Terra wrestled with his mistake, Aqua grabbed his arms and began rearranging them as if he were a ragdoll. 

“I don’t know what you are wanting me to do!” Terra yanked his arm away from her and slung his arms and legs in the air in frustration. 

“Here!” Aqua shoved his arm back down and swiftly laid her head down on it, creating a pillow out of the underside of his sizable bicep. 

Terra’s breath hitched. He felt her laying her head on his arm, close to his shoulder and molding into his side. He was afraid to breath. He knew if he did, he would frighten her and she would scamper off of his chest. Why he didn’t want that was lost on him. 

The Dark Keyblade Master slowly exhaled and gingerly rested his hand on the curve of her back. Aqua did not object. She only closed her eyes and began drifting off to sleep. 

She had surprised him again. He was positive he would never understand her or her thought process. One moment she hated his guts and the next she was joking with him and willingly facing him in bed, all but lying directly on his chest.   

 _Maybe she is bipolar,_ he mused. 

Even though Aqua had fallen to sleep, Terra could not. His mind was racing and he couldn’t understand why. Suddenly, he was completely sober and that cruel feeling was sprouting in his chest once again. 

Apprehensively, he glanced down at the girl who had fallen asleep at his side. 

Terra reached out for her, lightly brushing her azure tresses out of her pure face with the back of his fingers. His callused, war-ridden fingers stroked the milky skin of her pink cheek, skimming over the flawless skin that made up the side of her angelic face. 

He sighed heavily as his hand continued to caress the exposed side of her countenance with his palm. Gently, he completely placed his corrupt hand on her cheek while his thumb tenderly wandered over her plump lips. They had hypnotized him. She exhaled softly and the beautiful petals that created her mouth parted. 

Terra’s gloomy heart sank into the very pit of his stomach. Aqua’s cool breath licked over his thumb and he fell even farther into an almost hypnotic trance. 

The Light angel’s mouth was beckoning him. It called for his attention and his thumb continued to stroke the supple texture of her lips. Chilled breath seduced him and cried for the warmth that he knew only he could provide. 

His hand slipped down to her regal chin and leniently angled her head upward. Midnight blue eyes began to close and he leaned toward her. Terra’s tainted lips began to close in on hers but he hesitated when he felt the chill of her bottom lip graze his. 

The trance shattered into billions of tiny microscopic pieces. His eyes ripped open and he pulled away but he couldn’t bring himself to release Aqua’s face. He liked her like this. When she was asleep, she did not glare at him. She did not resent him and he could not see the hatred that she felt for him burning behind her eyes. 

He gave her face one more chaste caress before he detached himself from her. Terra ran his free hand through his thick, brown hair. 

_I am in trouble…_

* * *

Gray, chunky slop that jiggled when he poked it with his fork slept heavily on his metal tray. He was sure if he provoked it enough, it would come to life and attempt to eat his face. He had also decided that playing with it was more fun than eating it and probably better for his health. Light knew what kind of drugs _they_ put in this stuff…. 

“I know it is vile, Sora, but you should at least try to eat something,” said Master Yen Sid. 

“It is not that bad once you get use to it,” Master Eraqus said, attempted to ingest some of the rubbish _they_ had the nerve to call food. 

“I’m just not hungry,” Sora replied, shoving the tray across the dreary concrete table. He hadn’t had much of an appetite since he and Master Yen Sid had bumped into Master Eraqus, since he learned of the Purge that occurred in the Land of Departure. 

After learning about Kairi’s Purge, Sora had been spending even more time in solitary confinement as a result of looking for ways to escape the deplorable prison. He had been looking for ways out before he learned of Kairi’s Purge but now he was down right frantic. He was not longer trying to escape for himself and his Master, now Sora had to think about Master Eraqus and getting out to save Kairi. 

The mess hall quieted significantly. Sora looked up only to see Lord Ansem and Saïx had entered the room, eyeing their prisoners cynically. This was nothing new. Overlords, Seer Sages, and Dark Knights flowed in and out of the prison constantly. However, what was relatively new was the hooded girl following closely behind them. She wore a tight long sleeve black dress that only reached her knees while a loose, oversized hood hid her features. 

Sora’s eyes narrowed. He had seen the girl a few times before. She was a special case, always closely watched and never too far away from an Overlord or a Dark Knight. They loomed over her as vultures soared over carcasses. He often wondered what was so special about her. Why was she treated differently? 

Curious, Sora watched as she was escorted to an isolated table and given a tray full of what looked like _regular_ food. The food certainly didn't look like anything he had been offered since his imprisonment. 

She was scratching abnormally at her arms and she wasn't wearing shoes. The food on her tray went untouched as she appeared to stare holes into the table. It was strange...  

 _Something may be wrong with her…_ Sora thought and stared long and hard at the inmate.  

Just as Sora was about to call her to the Masters' attention, the girl held her head down and painfully familiar locks of ruby red fell out from beneath the ebony hood. 

Sora gasped and his whole body began to shutter. 

 _No! It can’t be!_  he thought, his feet moving on their own volition, carrying him through the hoard of inmates and guards. 

"Sora?" Yen Sid called, watching his pupil carelessly gravitate toward the isolated girl but he didn't answer him. 

“K-Kairi?” Sora called skeptically. He grabbed the girl by her shoulders and turned her to face him. 

The inky hood fell off her head, revealing a very pale and disoriented Kairi. 

“Kairi!” Sora cupped her face and looked directly at her. 

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Kairi’s dazzling eyes were dull and her pupil’s were dilated to the point that her eyes barely looked blue at all. They were practically black. Her bleached, chapped mouth fell in a lifeless line and her brow crinkled in confusion. 

“…Let… Go,” she said blankly but made no effort to remove Sora’s hands. 

“Kairi, it’s me. It’ Sora,” he pleaded desperately and pulled his now scruffy and unruly hair out of his face in an attempt to make himself more recognizable. His hair had grown a bit longer during his time as a prisoner but he did not think that it made him look _that_ much different. 

“S-Sora?” Kairi asked doubtfully and weakly pulled her face out of his hands. 

“Kairi, what is wrong?” Sora desperately tried to get some form of reaction from her, but the once fiery, vivacious girl sat emotionlessly before him. 

“Kairi!” he shook her shoulders. “Don’t you remember me?” 

“N-No…I-I don’t…I-I don’t…know…know…you,” she stuttered, thrashing her head back and forth. 

“Kairi it is me! We grew up together…” Sora was doing all he knew to do. 

How could she forget him? How could she forget all they had been through together?! 

“No. I don’t know a Sora. I…have…never…seen…you before,” Kairi began pushing Sora away with frail hands. 

“What did they do to you?” Sora instinctively enveloped Kairi in his arms and held her. 

“No! No! No! **No**!” she screamed, writhed, and jerked. 

Sora hopelessly tried to hold onto her even though she was violently assaulting and bludgeoning him with every ounce of her strength. 

“No… Kairi…please…please…” Sora placed his head on hers and squeezed his blue eyes shut. “Don’t… Don’t…” 

He could feel her feeble hits and kicks but they did not hurt. Nothing compared to the extreme anguish that he felt on the inside. 

“Help me!” she screamed as loud as she could, but Sora would not let her go. He would never let her go. 

“What is going on here?” Lord Ansem shouted as he approached Sora and a hysterical Kairi, a mob of guards flanking him.  

“I was about to ask you the same thing! What did you do to her?” Sora yelled. 

“Master!” Kairi sobbed, ripping herself from Sora’s embrace and running to Ansem who awaited her with open arms. 

 _What the…!_

“Boy, I do not know what you are talking about,” the Overlord replied and put one of his villainous hands on top of Kairi’s head. 

“You have brainwashed her!” Sora rose to his feet and pointed at the vicious monarch. The guards tensed and prepared to detain him but Ansem held his hand up to halt their advance. The men froze instantly. 

“That is ridiculous. Kairi? Do you even know who this young man is?” Ansem asked with mock kindness. 

Kairi frantically shook her head and clung to Lord Ansem’s side. 

“See, boy. She doesn’t even know you. You must have mistaken her for someone else,” Lord Ansem explained and roughly ran his gloved fingers through Kairi’s cherry tresses. 

“No! I just heard you call her Kairi!” Sora challenged, his tone and posture becoming more aggressive, causing him to be shackled and shoved to his knees by Saïx. 

“So I did,” Ansem said, his orange eyes gazing at the ceiling. “Then allow me to put it this way.” The Overlord removed Kairi from his side and approached Sora. “You have mistaken her for _your_ Kairi and _your_ Kairi is long gone.”


	10. Sweet Troubled Souls

_The island village was quiet save for the buzz of small town gossip that Sora could even hear from the bleached beach. Everyone was whispering about visitors, special visitors. They whispered about keys and masters and a lot of things Sora couldn’t really grasp. All he knew was that it was what everyone, including his parents were talking about. He was just ready for his dad to show up so he and Riku could go to the other island and play._

_“What is taking him so long?” Sora huffed as he rose to his feet and glared back at the village._

_“You think he is talking to the Keyblade Master that moved here?” Riku inquired and looked back at the small town as well._

_“The what master?” Sora asked, scratching the back of his head and kicking a nearby rock that rested on the shore._

_“Haven’t you heard?” Riku asked in utter disbelief._

_“No? What’s going on?” Sora asked swiftly._

_“Geez, Sora… You really are clueless sometimes…”_

_“Clueless to what? I don’t understand!” Sora stomped his foot. Riku was always doing this to him._

_“Come on,” Riku finally said and motioned for the younger boy to follow him._

_“Someone has rented the mayor’s old house for the summer. They say he is an old Keyblade Master! I bet your dad is talking to him. Let’s go check it out.”_

_“Wait, what?” Sora was still confused as Riku took off._

_“Come on! I’ll race ya! The first one to find your dad or the Keyblade Master wins!”_

_“What?! No fair!” Sora cried and stumbled after him. “You cheated! You got a head start!_

_“Come on, Sora! You gotta be quicker than that!” the older boy taunted as Sora followed him and struggled to keep up with his pace._

_When they finally reached the center of the village, they found Sora’s father conversing with a strange man, the Keyblade Master Riku was talking about. There were visitors there, which was strange. People rarely came to the Destiny Islands…but sure enough, there was a small group of people he had never seen before talking to his dad._

_Once Sora and Riku saw the man conversing with his father, they no longer cared whom one the race. Their childish brains had locked onto a new target, the strangers…_

_The man who talked to his father wasn’t alone. Two young girls who appeared to be about their age accompanied him. While he talked with his father, the girls quietly examined their surroundings and whispered to each other. The Master had dark hair that was in a spikey ponytail and his face was covered in some facial hair, a thin mustache and a small patch of hair below his bottom lip. His eyes were kind and gray._

_“They arrived last night. You think the girls are wielders too?” Riku asked under his breath._

_Sora shrugged. He had no idea._

_The girls appeared to be sisters and one was clearly a bit older than the other. The smaller girl had red hair and was clinging to the older girl’s side and that girl had **blue** hair! Sora had **never** seen a girl with blue hair in his life! Their hair was long, their cheeks rosy, and their eyes shone beneath thick, dark lashes. They looked almost ethereal, exotic and otherworldly. He instantly wondered where they were from to obtain features like those…_

_Sora was able to catch the redhead’s gaze first. She peeked around the blue girl’s form at him and smiled meekly before blushing and burying her face in the curve of the other girl’s side._

_The older girl followed her gaze and looked at him suspiciously. Her stare was hard and cold at first, guarded. Her gaze was nothing like the others. Sora’s mother once told him that when people had gazes like those, it meant they had an unhappy past and that he should be considerate and careful when talking to people with those looks…_

_However, the moment his eyes met the icy blue of hers, her features softened and she smiled back. The ice melted away and somehow, he knew it was safe to approach her now._

_“Come on!” Sora cried and grabbed Riku’s arm. “Let’s go say hi!”_

**_FLASH_ **

_Sora could hear the subtle waves as he and Kairi sat next to one another, her shoulder on his so they could use each other for support. The steady, rhythmic sound reminded him of them being back home with Riku. He hadn’t been home in a long time and it had been even longer since all three of them had been there together. Once they were old enough, he and Riku had left to find bigger and better things. He still wasn’t sure if they had found it or if better things even existed for people like him, people like Riku maybe, but not him._

_Sora left the Destiny Islands because Riku had insisted that it would be the best thing for them. Riku had become obsessed with leaving and finding his origin in the Dark Realm but Sora was reluctant. He didn’t want to leave without Kairi. He didn’t want to go where she couldn’t find him. He eventually agreed to go with him though. Riku suggested Kairi come with them but Sora didn’t want to do that to her since she was happy with the life she had. Kairi’s thirst for travel and pilgrimages was constantly sated through her lifestyle with Eraqus. They saw other placed constantly but he and Riku had never left the islands…_

_He tried to keep up. Honestly, he did but he couldn’t. Sora couldn’t handle the Dark Realm. He wasn’t built for it like Riku was. The Dark Realm was in Riku’s veins, in his bloodline. It wasn’t in Sora’s. He couldn’t keep up and was eventually left behind._

_Eventually, Riku found refuge in the neutral capital of Naefre. He was taken in by the chancellor there, DiZ, and became his most talented protégée. As far as Sora knew, he was still there, mastering the Dark key…_

_Fate had other plans for Sora though. After he and Riku were separated, he ended up in Twilight Town and became the apprentice of a man named Yen Sid. Sora loved it there but it wasn’t home and he still missed his best friend._

_However, he still had Kairi. After he and Riku left home, Kairi and her extended, hybrid family continued to visit them. Master Eraqus had even been the one who suggested that Sora go to Twilight Town and speak with a man named Yen Sid._

_“I saw Riku the other day,” Kairi said gently, playing with the sand beneath them. “He has changed.”_

_Sora’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”_

_“Well…” she trailed off and stared out at the sunset. “Hmm…”_

_He could tell that she couldn’t find the right words and she didn’t want to say anything that would upset or offend him. She knew how much Riku meant to him and she didn’t want to speak unkindly of anyone he cared about. Such was her nature._

_Although Kairi couldn’t find the words, he could almost read her mind. He knew Riku wasn’t who he had been before. He wasn’t their friend from the islands. Riku went down a dark path. Sora saw it. He knew he did things that he shouldn’t have. The differences in opinions had driven a wedge between them and ultimately, sent them on completely different paths but he knew one day they would meet in the middle again…_

_“He is better. He doesn’t do mercenary work for Lord Ansem anymore… He hasn’t done that since he settled down in Naefre. I think he finally realized what he was like, what **they** are like.”_

_Sora shook his head. “He is lucky Ansem didn’t kill him.”_

_“They are more merciful towards those who are touched by the Darkness as long as they don’t help Children of Light or join the Opposition.” Kairi reached over and grabbed his hand. “Riku is going to be fine. I know you worry about him but he is going to be okay. Training under DiZ has been good for him and I think he regrets what he did. I also think he is still too ashamed to face you though… He wouldn’t look me in the eye for the longest…”_

_Sora’s mouth twitched into an almost smile and he gave her hand a squeeze. She had a magical way of making him feel better._

_She was right. Riku was going to be fine. He and his family were living breathing proof that not all Dark Followers or individuals from the Dark Realm were horrible human beings. His family moved to the islands to escape the Dark Realm because they didn’t approve of the Dark Rule and its practices. They left to escape the Purge and sometimes Sora thought his family left to escape what they were, their heritage so that Riku stood a better chance of being something better._

_However, Riku was also living breathing proof that there was an incurable madness that lingered inside each of them, inside everyone who had Darkness’ crux in their veins. It was a balancing act for them, a constant battle with sanity and morality. Wielding Darkness, having its essence, its legacy living inside of you, its creed stamped into onto your heart, it made life harder; it made lucidity harder. Sora had seen the battle first hand. He watched Riku struggle with the right thing, he watched him be seduced by that power, he watched him wrestle with stability all because of who he was and what dwelled within him._

_“Riku just needs time to figure out who he is again. He needs to find his footing and when he does, he will be back.” Kairi sighed. “But I miss him too.”_

_Kairi played with his hand, examining his glove and playing with his fingers with no greater intention than to simply touch him._

_Kairi… Kairi was a constant, **his** constant. No matter what happened or how things changed, there was always Kairi; there would always be Kairi. She would be there to keep him from goofing off, to keep him on task, to tease him, to cheer him up._

_“Sora…” she whispered, peering up at him from beneath her bangs of crimson._

_“Hmm?”_

_“Don’t ever change.”_

**_FLASH_ **

_Kairi was unnaturally quiet and he was pretty sure he knew why. She knew that Master Yen Sid was demanding that she return to the Land of Departure._

_She knew the routine. Right before she returned home, Yen Sid would give her and Sora a day off to go out into the town and spend time with their friends. He would let them try to have a normal day as teens together before she left. They went into town to see some of their friends but Kairi wasn’t enjoying herself. She didn’t eat the ice cream he got her and she barely spoke to their friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. She didn’t even scold Seifer and his crew for bullying people in the Sandlot!_

_She knew. He didn’t know how she knew, but she knew. She had a strange sixth sense about these things…_

_After attempting to spend the day with the kids from Twilight Town, they had boarded a train, and traveled to Sunset Terrace on the other side of town. They had settled in their favorite spot in the suburb, the small hillside by railroad tracks that overlooked the ocean. He always assumed they preferred this place because it reminded them of the islands, of the paopu tree where they spent countless hours there with Riku talking about anything and everything. They could hear the ocean here…_

_She sat a few feet away from him by the fence next to the monument that was designed after Central Station in Twilight Town. Her knees were brought to her chest as she stared out at the perpetual sunset. Kairi was in her usual attire, her purple skirt and her white tank top with black outlines around her shirts neckline and arms. A black chocker wrapped around her neck while a simple necklace with a teardrop like emblem was also hanging from her delicate neck._

_Her long, ruby locks had grown so long that they almost grazed the sandy, sunset-kissed ground she sat on._

_“You’re sending me home, aren’t you?” she asked, breaking the silence that delicately hung around them._

_Sora sighed. “You have to go home.”_

_“Why?” She looked back at him with confused and slightly hurt eyes._

_“Master Yen Sid thinks there is going to be a Purge here soon and he does not want you here when it happens.” His eyes fall to the ground._

_Sora couldn’t stand it when she looked at him like that but it was true. Purges were being conducted all around them. Almost every city and town near Twilight Town had a Purge over the past few weeks. It is only a matter of time before they came there, before they came for Master Yen Sid. Yen Sid served in the Great War and he was a Denizen of Light before it hit. Both of those things could easily get someone Purged. There was no avoiding it and Kairi did not need to be there when or if they came. If they suspect Yen Sid was teaching her or that she could use advanced magic, they would take her too._

_“No. I don’t want to leave.” Kairi shook her head._

_“Kairi…”_

_“Sora, what if this is the last time I see you and Master Yen Sid? I can’t leave knowing that this might be the last time I see both of you.”_

_“Who said anything about **me** being Purged?” Sora questioned even though he knew good and damn well that he could be Purged just as easily as Yen Sid._

_“Don’t be stupid, Sora,” she snapped and immediately rose to her feet._

_Kairi might be young but she was far from ignorant. She knew how the world worked and she understood the Purge. Kairi didn’t remember her parents but she had lost them to a Purge. Sora thought it was better that she didn’t remember her parents or the Purge that took them from her. All Kairi remembered was being raised by her sister, Aqua, and eventually, being taken in by Master Eraqus. Sora had always believed that was what delivered Kairi from the deep-rooted bitterness that her sister harbored._

_Sadly, Aqua had not been as fortunate as Kairi. Aqua remembered their parents **and** their Purge. Her memories did not shroud her heart as it did so many others that experienced similar situations, but Aqua was still changed by the events. Sora had noticed that Aqua’s loathing of the Dark Realm burned differently than Kairi’s…_

_“You know they can’t take me! I am too talented,” Sora lied arrogantly, puffing his chest with pride._

_“That is what I am afraid of. You **are** too talented,” Kairi replied as her glittering eyes dropped to the ground they stood upon. “If they have seen how far you have progressed…”_

_“They won’t take me, and I am definitely not letting them take you. So you are going back home and that is final,” he said a bit more firmly. “Don’t forget you are gifted too. You can use magic **and** you are training to be a Keyblade Master. You were the last in your family to take up a Keyblade but had caught on quicker than all of them. Not to mention, you are a Child of Light. You can’t stay here. It’s way too dangerous.”_

_“Sora…”_

_“Don’t worry.” Sora stood and wound his arms around her shoulders and neck._

_Kairi sighed desolately and wrapped her arms underneath his. She held onto his shoulders, tightly embedding her face in his still maturing chest._

_“Everything is going to be all right,” the young man said gently, closing his azure eyes and tenderly resting his head on hers._

_“Here.” Kairi pulled away and reached into her pocket. “Take this.” She grabbed Sora’s wrist and placed a small object in his hand._

_Sora’s umber brow rose in skepticism before he looked at the trinket she has placed in his hand. It was a cute charm made out of five seashells. The shells were arranged to mimic the shape of a star. They were held together by simple thread. A small crown rested in the center of the amulet and a face was drawn onto the center shell. The shells were yellow at their base but their color changed to pink at their unusual jagged tips._

_“It’s my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me,” the redhead commanded strictly, placing her hands on her hips and leaning toward him for emphasis._

_He understood what she was doing. Kairi wanted him to promise to return to her. It was her unique way of asking him to not leave her…to not be Purged. It would be her way of knowing that when she left, he would still be there when she came back. If she was going to leave, she needed some form of comfort, some insurance, something to give her hope, a promise that they would see each other again._

_“Don’t worry. I will.” Sora firmly gasped the precious charm in his hand._

_“Promise?” she pleaded with uneasy yet sparkling eyes._

_“Promise.”_

* * *

The rough, deplorable prison floor scraped Sora's dirty cheek as he squirmed against its surface; the abrasive texture jolting him back into consciousness and out of his reminiscence.

_I was wrong. I had lied to you. Everything wasn't going to be all right,_ he mentally scolded himself as he writhed on the damp, concrete floor of his cell. 

The young inmate had not moved since Saïx shackled his hands behind his back and shoved him face first into his cell. His jaw was hurting from when it collided into the stone flooring and he was pretty sure the right side of his face was bleeding but he had made no effort to remove himself from his uncomfortable position. All he could do was replay memories of _his_ Kairi over and over again in his throbbing head. 

Sora groaned and finally decided to roll onto his back and relieve himself from some of the pain he was experiencing physically. He puffed out a disgruntled breath as he rotated his body and angled himself halfway onto his back. However, due to the restraints on his hands, he was unable to completely lie on his back. 

Shaggy brown hair was compressed to his sweat and grime covered face as he continued to fight for a somewhat comfortable position on the scalding, coarse floor. The prison was always scorching during the day and bitterly frigid during the night. The structure never maintained a comfortable temperature. 

Sora was not sure which was worse, the unwavering heat of day or the unforgiving cold of night. He was not sure of his exact location either, Terra and the Dark Knights who had brought him there had made sure of that, but he _did_ know he was in the middle of a contemptible wasteland of blazing sand. 

Coughing, Sora spit out some of the blood that had accumulated in his mouth onto the blackened, sand covered concrete, his saliva mixing with the crimson fluid and lazily lingering his busted lips in a grotesque stream. 

Saïx could have busted out half of his teeth when he threw him to the ground face first, but Sora wasn't really paying attention at the time. He could feel the intense ache that followed the collision, but his mind was so far gone that the torment did not truly register. The drugs they slipped in his food and shoved into his veins did nothing for his senses either but now that he was moving and he had finally stopped thinking about the last moments he had with Kairi before the Overlords had contaminated her, he was finally starting to feel physical suffering again. 

After running his tongue through his mouth and ensuring all of his teeth were still accounted for, he decided he should confront the pathetic condition his jaw was in. He cried aloud in anguish as he opened his mouth and stretched out his aching jaw. After taking several deep preemptive breathes, he slid his jaw back and forth, trying to reset the injured mandible without his hands. 

_Kairi, what did they do to you?_  

Although Sora was experiencing immense amounts of discomfort, he no longer cared about his bodily wellbeing. All he could think about, all he could care about was Kairi and what they had done to her. He knew that the Dark Rule had many diabolical tricks up their foul sleeves, but never in a million years would he have thought of radical brainwashing. No, it wasn't just brainwashing. It was as if they had turned Kairi into a blank slate and they were remolding her into something they found more desirable. 

_How did they even take her memory? How did they even turn her into…whatever that was? How is it even possible?_  

Kairi hadn't just forgotten Sora; it was as if she had forgotten _everything_. He was not even sure she even knew her own name, if she knew how to eat, or if she even knew how to take care of herself. He didn't have the chance to ask her or analyze her. They had made sure of that. It was as if Saïx couldn't get him away from her quick enough. 

_I doubt I will be able to even find her again. They may even relocate her just to keep her out of my reach. Her stay here was probably only temporary anyway. Why would they put her in the same prison as her Master, Eraqus? Why would they imprison her here? Master Yen Sid and I are even here. Unless it wasn't about that, maybe they were more afraid of people on the outside finding her. I guess it doesn't really matter if she is in the same jail us. It isn't like we can help her. We can't even help ourselves for Light's sake._  

None of it made sense and the more Sora thought about it, the more his head felt as though an invisible sledgehammer was cracking it open. It hurt and he couldn’t think about it but that didn’t stop him from doing so. He couldn’t let it go. He couldn’t shake the images of Kairi or the numbness that accompanied them. 

Accepting that slipping into the past was better than confronting the raw brutality of the present, he closed his eyes and let the intense physical pain suck him back into unconsciousness, back into a world where Kairi was still Kairi.

* * *

"My Lord, I cannot express how sorry I am," Saïx pleaded, falling to his knees before Lord Ansem. "I did not even know that the boy had been released from solitary confinement. If I had know that he was freed, I would have never left her alone." 

Ansem did not reply. The Dark Overlord only strolled through the warden's quarters with his hands placed regally behind his broad back. He stopped when he reached one of the few windows within the towering detention center. The window did not have glass and was only used to bring faint amounts of air into the stifling penitentiary. Visibility was limited even from their soaring height. The only view the window provided was that of endless amounts of noxious sand and unlimited amounts of feral dunes; no wildlife, no vegetation, no flora, nothing but a barren slaughtered land. 

"I will command his relocation at once. He will never lay eyes on her again.” Saïx quickly removed his helmet as a sign of complete submission, the black helmet with white lifeless eyes and faux facial features clanking onto the ground and rolling to Ansem’s unfaltering heels. 

Marluxia smirked mischievously and glanced over at Ansem, his gloved hands disappearing into the pockets of his rugged, ebony tuxedo jacket. 

"Now, now, Saïx. Let us not get ahead of ourselves," Lord Ansem said as he continued to watch the whirling sandstorm that transpired around the sinking, towering prison. 

Saïx's brow furrowed in confusion and the scars that marred the center of his face wrinkled. "My Lord, I do not understand.” 

The scarred warrior could feel the eerily smooth caress of Marluxia's telepathy slithering inside his brain. The tendrils wrapped around his brainstem before they wriggled up into every single wrinkle of his brain and pierced it like a scythe. 

Saïx yielded to the invasion for he knew that the satiny caress would turn into a barrage of sharp needle pricks if he resisted it. 

"Fear not, Saïx," Marluxia declared as he straightened the bulky, pale red scarf that strangled his neck and cascaded down the front of his body, "your assumed _failure_ can work to our advantage. You are still trying to conquer Sora. Are you not?" 

Marluxia continued to sift through the Dark Knight’s cerebrum although he already had the answers to the questions he was asking Saïx. Questioning the combatant was merely a formality now. The Seer Sage needed his sovereign to hear Saïx's replies himself. 

"Yes. Breaking him has been a struggle. However, the last time Terra was here he did find something that we believe could break him," Saïx confessed. 

"What did he find?" the seer asked dully as he secured his fingerless gloves. 

"Sora had managed to keep some kind of charm even after he had been stripped and searched countless times," the knight reluctantly admitted. "Terra said that the charm meant a lot to Sora so he took the charm away from him. I do not know where it is now." 

"I am sure Terra still has it, but its location is not what is important. What is important is that is was valuable to the boy and the meaning behind it." Ansem glanced over his powerful shoulder at one of his most faithful knights. 

"That I do not know…" Saïx reluctantly revealed and held his head down. 

"This charm is important to him. Yes?" Marluxia asked, folding his arms over his chest. 

"Yes, other than his encounter with Kairi, taking it is the only thing that has managed to faze him since he has been here," the Dark Knight replied with a nod. 

The manipulative seer smiled smugly. "So the only things that have effected him have involved Kairi and this amulet?" 

"That is correct," Saïx answered confidently and continued to kneel before his monarch and the Seer Sage. 

"Well then I believe that Kairi will be able to tell us if there is a connection between her and this charm," Marluxia announced. 

"What makes you so sure that there is even a connection?" Saïx remarked impatiently. 

"Let's just say I'm a people person," Marluxia said darkly and approached the hooded girl who was seated in one of the corners of the warden's office. 

Her once bright blue eyes were now almost completely black. Pink lips were white and chapped. Dark circles lingered beneath her desolate eyes and her once creamy skin was white as death. 

"B-Bad…color. It's…the bad color. I-It's the bad c-color. Bad color," Kairi repeated like mantra as she tugged and scratched at the black garment that smothered her fragile body. 

The Seer Sage fell to his knees before the characterless shell of a girl.

"I know it is, sweetie. I know. I know," Marluxia offered the lifeless girl false, mock solace. 

Ansem trudged around the warden's desk and approached Kairi. 

"Kairi," the cruel ruler spoke slowly and clearly so the young girl would understand him. 

Vacant eyes fluttered and struggled to focus on his face. 

"This is Marluxia." Ansem placed a hand on the seer's shrouded shoulder. "He needs to look at your memories. It will not hurt unless you fight him. You will feel a slight tingling sensation, but it will not cause you pain unless you resist him. Do you understand?" 

Kairi nodded even though everyone in the room seriously doubted she had a clue of what was going on around her. 

Marluxia gently pulled the gloomy hood from her head and stroked her hair off of her shoulders. He brought his hands up and placed his palms on both sides of her head, holding his thumbs securely on each of her temples. 

Normally, Marluxia could retrieve memories and thoughts without laying a hand on anyone, but Kairi was a unique case. Her total loss of memory would make her mind harder to probe. The girl still had her memories; they were just lost to her. The drugs and narcotics given to her had shoved her memories into the darkest corners of her mind where she could not restore them. They had been scattered and disintegrated into unrecognizable bits. 

Kairi winced slightly as she felt the seer filtering through and inspecting her conscious as well as her subconscious. The satin tentacles winded around her brain and pierced down into the tender tissue of her cerebral matter. Every inch of her mind was being breached and encroached in unspeakable ways.

 Marluxia's cavernous eyes closed as he plunged deeper into the mangled, chaotic mass that made up Kairi's intelligence, judgment, reasoning, and understanding.

Once the Seer Sage found the knowledge and memories he was seeking, he released her head and retracted the contemptible, velvety tendrils from her violated brain. 

Instantly, Kairi's eyes rolled into the back of her head, her damaged head swimming. The desecrated girl's head moved in abnormal ways before she fainted from the unnatural assault. The seer effortlessly caught the limp girl in his arms. He sat next to her and allowed her to rest against his form. 

"My assumptions were correct, my Lord," Marluxia proclaimed proudly, still holding Kairi in his arms. "There is no need to keep Sora and Kairi away from one another." 

Saïx rose to his feet at the unreasonable theory. "Are you mad, Marluxia?" 

"Hold your tongue, Saïx," Ansem scolded harshly. "You have not even heard our plan yet." 

"Kairi is the key to breaking Sora," said Marluxia. "The charm Sora cherishes was a gift from Kairi, a promise that someday they would be reunited and he would be able to return it to her. So the real thing Sora holds so dear, the thing that is most important to him is actually the girl. Not the charm." 

"You see?" The Overlord said. "By letting Sora watch Kairi deteriorate before his eyes, we will destroy him and his unwavering spirit." 

"Every day she will forget him and no matter how hard he tries, she will never remember him, their relationship, or any memories that they share. Of course, he will try to help her recover he lost memories, but it will be in vain. The _medicine_ we give her will always erase whatever memories he manages to revive." Marluxia snickered in absolute delight. "He will have to start from scratch every single time he interacts with her. Each day he will be forced to watch her fail to remember him and everything he tries to help her recover over and over again. It would be enough to obliterate even to most vivacious of individuals.” 

"Then Sora will no longer be a problem. His spirit will crack and he will stop trying to escape. While Kairi will be completely reeducated and molded to our liking," Ansem added and peered at the unconscious girl in Marluxia's arms. 

"Sounds good to me. That certainly makes my job a lot easier," Saïx declared before he picked up his discarded headgear off the sandy concrete of the office. 

"You will inform the _warden_ of our plans," the Dark Overlord demanded as he stood before the obedient knight. 

The _warden_ was nothing but a figurehead. He made no decisions nor did he have much authority. The pitiful warden was used to carry out tasks. The true wardens were the members of the Court. The warden was but a puppet, and the puppet would merely help carry out the jobs that the Court demanded be done. All decisions and plans were made within the Palace of Retribution in Hollow Bastion, not in the actual prisons. 

"Of course, my liege," Saïx replied with a flawless bow before he secured the morbid mask like helmet atop his head.

* * *

Terra was not asleep. He was awake but she wasn’t. Aqua was still asleep atop him. His hand rested on her slowly rising back. Absent-mindedly, his thumb softly rubbed the flesh in between her delicate shoulder blades. 

Midnight blue eyes stared blankly at the dust flurries that danced in front of his balcony doors, the flurries that had been made visible by the harsh rays of morning sun. As he stared at nothing but floating dust particles, the Dark Knight racked his brain to pieces and tried to figure out where he botched everything up. When did he actually start caring about the girl who was asleep on his chest? When had their constant squabbles begin to cease? It was all a confusing blur of blood, lessons magic suppressant, and countless nights and mornings inside this very room. He could not pinpoint the very moment that everything started to change. All he knew was where he had ended up, where he was now. 

When had he started enjoying her smiles? When did he start caring if she was cold or uncomfortable? No matter how much he thought about it, he could not find the answer that he wanted. Maybe he could not find the answer because it had started happening before he even noticed it. 

Was it when he held her against him when she had her hypothermic episode in the middle of the night? Was it when he wrapped her wrists with medical tape in the bathroom after their first night together? Was it when he first buried his face in the back of her unblemished neck? Was it when he first smelled her delightful natural aroma of jasmine and lavender that he now found intoxicating? Maybe it was even before all of that? Was it possible that he had fucked up the instant he _looked_ at her? The first time he laid hands on her in the Land of Departure? Did he fuck up when he let Riku live? Had he fucked up when he picked her up to put her on his Keyblade Glider when they were leaving Amur? Was it when he decided to use his body shield her from the reprehensible wind and elements aboard his glider on their way to Hollow Bastion? 

_I don't have a fucking clue…_ he mused and ran a hand down his face in exasperation. 

He supposed that it did not matter. Not now. It was too late now. The damage was done. What was done could not be undone. He cared about her and he could not change that. He could not change how he felt. He was in too deep and now he was drowning in her. He trekked too far into hazardous waters and now he was reaping the consequences. There was nothing he could do about it. 

_How could you be so careless? How could you be so unprofessional? You are the Captain of the Dark Knights for fuck’s sake!_  

Sighing heavily, he glanced down at the white witch who had hexed him. Her gorgeous locks were sprayed all over him while her head rested on his lower torso. She had shifted during the night and had traveled from his bicep to his lower chest. Her head was almost on his stomach now. 

Terra continued to stroke the smooth skin of her upper back with his thumb as his eyes wandered down her body. One of her legs was resting between his sturdy ones while her small toes curled and wiggled as she slept or maybe dreamt. 

_I wonder what she dreams about. I doubt she dreams of me like I have dreamed of her…_  

Her hands did not touch him. They stayed tightly clenched as they rested on his side. She made sure of that. Aqua merely tolerated him now. Terra had not earned the privilege of having her hands grace him. For some reason, she found it to be too personal. She had accepted a lot of things during her stay there but touching her guardian in that way was not one of them. 

Aqua's disfigured wrists were still wrapped in the medical bindings from the day before. The wounds had healed for the most part. All that remained now was the bright red discoloration that ribboned out and wrapped around the ruined flesh of her wrists. Aqua did not _have_ to wear the medical tape anymore, but she wore it to hide her shame, her failure. She did not want anyone to see the permanent bracelets he had given her. 

_Maybe she doesn't want to see them…_  

Shortly after accidentally laying on Terra that first night, she had decided that it was not too terrible and it was worth it to get to lie in a different position at night. They still slept in their original sleeping pattern; with Aqua's back to him while he embraced her from behind, but now they had both become much more flexible. They had gotten used to one another. Recently, the knight would relent and simply let Aqua decide how she wanted to sleep. Her moods still changed dramatically, as did her tolerance of him, so he chose to let her call the shots when it came to their… _positions._ Some days were better than others. On bad days, she would try to get as far away from him as possible and turn her back to him but on good days, she would curl up on his chest to find comfort, some sliver of humanity, some semblance of solace. 

Terra knew when the sleeping patterns started to change but he was not sure when the frequent fighting had stopped. They still fought like the mortal enemies they were, but it was not like it was a first. The duo could actually mange to get along for longer periods of time now and he could not figure out when or why that had happened either… 

Aqua's arm shifted and draped over his powerful torso and dangled lifelessly off of the other side of his body. Her head turned and her parted mouth grazed against his tanned flesh. 

It took every ounce of the knight’s willpower not to hiss in agony when he felt her tender lips scrape at his thermal hide. His eyes squeezed shut and every single surging muscle inside his body tensed as his back slightly arched. 

_Fuck…_  

As his body adjusted, Aqua groaned and moved with her rustling pillow. She was refusing to leave the comforting encasement of sleep. Sleep was safe, sleep was unthinking, sleep was her only way to escape, it was the only thing that could ease the pain of consciousness. 

The Dark Keyblade Master was seriously considering waking her to stop the torment he was starting to receive, but he could just not bring himself to wake her when she was sleeping so well. It was a rare occurrence. Aqua often struggled with sleep within the black sheets of his bed. 

_You are doing it again. You are being...what is the word...considerate?_  

It was too late though, his movements had disturbed her and he could feel her leaving the confines of slumber. She grumbled and her face hid from the blinding sun within his slowly rising chest, likely searching for some kind of relief he wouldn’t be able to offer. 

Terra absorbed her every movement as if they were the last things he would ever witness. Attentively, he watched how her lashes brushed her cheek when she squinted, how her mouth twitched, how her hair curtained around them and gracefully hid segments of her face… 

_WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!_ he screamed mentally. 

Slowly, her head rose and her cheek slid across his upper body so that she could look up at him. Once again, Terra couldn’t help himself. He gave her a small smile instead of his usual scowl. 

Aqua’s mouth twitched but she did not smile. She ripped herself away from his body and sat up on the lavish bed. She rubbed her weak eyes before she stretched her arms over her head, taking her azure locks with her arms and revealing the back of her neck and shoulders. 

The unarmored knight watched helplessly as her stretching showed off her supple curves. The white nightgown she wore was much too thin and it gave Terra a good impression of what she might look like without it on… 

_Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop._  

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was about her that enticed him so. She was a Child of Light for Darkness's sake! There was nothing special about her other than the unique shade of her hair. Aqua was simply luminous and plain. She was just like every other Child of Light he had encountered. She was just a girl, a girl that he had unfortunately gotten stuck with. He didn’t even want her in the first place! She was annoying, strong-willed, spirited, and feral. Terra should hate her. Aqua was everything that he was supposed to hate. For a while, he thought that he did hate her, but he didn't. Not anymore anyway. 

Eventually, her eyes traveled across the room to the luminous doors that led to his balcony. 

"Terra?" Aqua said softly, causing a bulky lump to form in Terra's suddenly swollen esophagus. 

"Hmm?" he casually placed his hands behind his head and leaned against his mahogany headboard. The Dark Knight knew it was not much of a reply but he was pretty sure he could not speak with that cumbersome wad lodged in his throat. 

"Can I sit out on the balcony for a while before we leave?" she asked delicately as her eyes left the glass doors to peer down at her shirtless guard. 

Terra shrugged. "I see no reason why not." 

As soon as the words of consent left his mouth, Aqua was on her feet and heading out the dual doors. 

Terra's eyebrow rose in uncertainty as he watched her wander out onto the veranda. She had approached the doors with haste but once she was there, it seemed as though she was unsure of how to continue. It was almost like she had forgotten what it was like to do something on her own. That or she was fearful of doing something on her own; like she expected it to be a trick or that she would be punished for her actions. She seemed apprehensive. 

Once she regained her confidence, Aqua walked to the ledge and sat on the stone railing. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep drag of the fresh air that surrounded her. Closing her eyes had heightened her senses and she listened intently to everything around her. She was pleased to discover that the world sounded the same regardless of where she was. The birds chirped the same way, the murmur of gossip and chatter reverberated the same way, the breeze whizzed past her ear and into her ear canal in the same manner. The only way she could draw a distinction between her prison and the outside world where freedom resided was the sound of gushing water erupting from countless fountains that filled the grim city. 

The sound should have been a pleasant one. The hiss and trickle of water should have been calming and soothing but to her, it sounded like a chocobo raking its talons across a chalkboard. The sound was horrific because it was what reminded her of where she was. It along with the powerful aroma of Dark Realm flowers was a painful reminder that she was in Hollow Bastion as a rehabilitation subject. 

"Is something wrong?" Terra asked as he rested against the doorway of his patio and intently watched the solemn look on Aqua’s face, how her expression hardened and her frown deepened once the sound of his voice graced her ears. 

The Light Keyblade wielder's eyes slowly opened and she glanced over at Terra.

"Oh, you know, the usual," she stated coldly before she cast her hardened gaze back over the ledge. 

The knight was tempted to make a cruel remark, but he resisted the alluring desire to yell at her. He wasn’t really in the mood to fight. Plus, he knew what was wrong with her. It was written all over her face. She was a captive there and she was constantly forced to do things she had no yearning to do. Aqua had been taken from her home, her family, and her old life. Now she was living within the Dark Capital and each day she had to endure the rehabilitation process, which was meant to demoralize her and change her entire view on life. Not to mention it was inhibiting her from doing what she wanted to do the most; find her sister. 

_It is for her own good. She will understand once we get through to her. She will thank us for this one day._  

"Will you tell me anything about my sister today?" the Child of Light inquired and she stared out at the marvelous view that rested beyond the balcony. 

Fountains blasted water into the orange morning sky while innumerable, colorful cottage like housetops rolled throughout the ground and streets beneath them. The vast, vibrant gardens that surround the area could be seen from their position and Terra could almost smell their faint floral fragrance from where he stood. 

Aqua often asked Terra about her sister, but the answer was always the same. He would never reveal anything to her. His loyalty ran too deep. The young knight would answer almost all of the dejected girl's questions except that one, the one that she desperately wanted the answer to. She knew he would not tell her, but she continued to try anyway. Deep down, she hoped that she could one day break his distrust and that he might disclose the information to her. 

"You know I can't to that," Terra responded sourly. 

"Terra, I just want to know that she is okay. Please. You don't have to give me graphic details, I just need to know how she is," Aqua pleaded and climbed off her position on the ledge so she could approach him. 

"Aqua," he rebuked gently, shaking his head and glancing in the opposite direction. 

Aqua recoiled as if she had been struck. He just uttered her name. He had just called her Aqua and she could not believe her ears. He didn’t use any demeaning nickname or snide remark; he called her Aqua. He had given her an identity and finally acknowledged that she was a person with a name. 

"Please… I just--" Aqua took a few more steps toward him. She was desperately trying to beseech that part of him that she knew would tell her, the faint light that glimmered dully way down within his shady essence. 

"No,” he spat before glaring at her. 

Just like that, she was mercilessly pushed away again. His dreary light was doused and she could not sense it anymore. 

Aqua frowned and took a few steps back, losing her will to search for the light inside Terra. 

Silence cloaked in the sound of hissing fountains surrounded them. 

"So, who is going to be teaching me next week?" she asked when the silence became too much, her tone dry and blank as she stared down at her bare feet. She decided she wanted to change the subject. She knew that their conversation surrounding Kairi was going nowhere fast. 

"Lord Xehanort."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Hopefully the gaps left in the story are starting to be filled. I wanted things to make more sense at the story progressed. So, this was clearly a Sora and Kairi chapter but there will be more Aqua and Terra drama in the next chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for sticking with the story!


	11. The Worst Day Since Yesterday

* * *

_And she says oh_

_I can’t take no more_

_Her tears like diamonds on the floor_

_Her diamonds bring me down_

_Cause I can’t help her now_

_She’s down in it_

_She tried her best and now she can’t win_

_It’s hard to see them on the ground_

_Her diamonds falling down_

_\- Her Diamonds, Rob Thomas_

* * *

The last lesson Aqua had with Luxord was just as unpleasant and boring as her first. The only lesson she had enjoyed was the one she had when Roxas and Demyx crashed and they had played cards all morning until Terra came to get her.

Today, Aqua was not playing cards and she was alone with the Elder who seemed to have a special distain for her.

She would rather be playing around with Roxas. She missed Roxas' company. He was one of the few people who had shown her true kindness since she had been here, and he was actually one of the few things that kept her sane.

"All right, Aqua," Luxord said with a melancholy sigh. "What is the first thing Dark Knights go through before they begin their training?"

The young woman sighed and played with the leather that covered the armrests of the massive chair she sat in, her radiant eyes wandering around the elaborate study they sat in. Like everything else in Tarnen, this room was mostly red. The lush carpet was pitch black, the walls were vermillion, and the bookshelves that lined the back wall of the room were a red tinted mahogany.

As she tried to think of the correct answer, she stared at the massive portrait of a very sophisticated looking Luxord that dangled on the wall behind his desk. "The…values…inoculation?" she answered with a wince. Aqua tightly shut her eyes. She knew her answer wasn't completely right before it left her lips.

The Child of Light knew what it was. She just did not know the procedure by name. It was what young men went through on their journey to become a Dark Knight. The brutalization process was used to obliterate any existing morals, values, or norms the individual had and replaced them with new ones that drove the individual to accept violence, murder, ruination, and death as a way of life. The result was men who were immune to remorse and desensitized to brutality and bloodshed. It was embraced as habitual and normal as well as a necessary skill.

"Incorrect," the Elder replied with exaggerated disappointment. "It is called the values inculcation."

Luxord shook his head in displeasure and began writing on a piece of parchment.

Honestly, the Keyblade wielder did not care if it was incorrect. She loathed the Dark Knights and she hated learning about them as well as their ridiculous training methods that turned them into invincible monsters.

"Perhaps we should take a field trip," Luxord thought aloud and tapped his stubble covered chin with the writing utensil.

Aqua's nose wrinkled in dissatisfaction.

"I would rather not." She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She wanted to vanish. She wished the world would swallow her whole. He couldn't drag her on a ' _field trip'_ if he couldn't find her...

"We have been covering this material for almost a week and you are still struggling with it," Luxord chided her as he rose from behind his enormous mahogany desk coated in thick books and scattered paperwork.

"I believe a physical example and demonstration might help you grasp the information." The Elder placed his hands behind his back and strolled around his desk.

This was not going to be fun. Reading and learning about the brutal and sinister training Dark Knights went through was bad enough and she could not imagine how unpleasant witnessing it would be.

"Can I get one more chance?" Aqua questioned skeptically as she weakly smiled at her fair-haired tutor.

"No. Let's go," the man replied flatly and exited the room.

The azure female groaned as she reluctantly got to her feet and slowly walked to the scarlet door Luxord had left open for her.

"Today will be a great day for demonstration. The Dark Knights and the elite are training today, not just the trainees and guards," Luxord stated as he walked Aqua down the black and red hallways.

"Terra?" she asked without thinking and quickly latched her hands over her treacherous mouth.

"Mm hmm," the Elder answered casually although Aqua was sure he heard the curiosity in her voice. "The Captain and the higher ranking knights are not required to train daily but they are expected to stay in shape and to endure rigorous training at least once a month. Didn't Terra tell you what he was going to be doing today?"

It took a great deal of effort to not scoff at the man beside her.

"Terra only tells me what he _wants_ to tell me," Aqua tried to answer as nicely as she could.

"You two just spend so much time together I assumed he would inform you of such things," the man with pale blonde hair said with a shrug, his tone cold.

Luxord led Aqua out the back of the palace and through the private palace gardens. Unlike the gardens within the Dark Capital, the palace garden only contained crimson, black, navy, and purple flowers. Apparently, only dark flowers were permitted on these rotting grounds.

Zinnias, black dahlias, roses, pansies, black lilies, bat orchids, celosias, and countless other blackened flowers she did not recognize surrounded the pathways they followed. The flowers were as beautiful as they were macabre and the only trees that filled the area were glum weeping willows that swayed eerily in the unearthly fall wind that swept over the vacant, gloomy garden.

Once they past the garden, they continued following the stony pathways until they reached a giant training ground that mimicked a coliseum or gladiator arena. Towering ruby columns encased the squared training field on three of its four sides. The fourth side, however, was made of large stone bleachers where eager onlookers could sit.

_Maybe some executions are held here…_ Aqua mused and thought of reasons why the training ground would need that many seats.

"This is one of the two identical training grounds we have," Luxord explained and walked the blue maiden to the towering stairs that doubled as seats. "One is for the lower-ranking knights or knights in training, while the other is used for actual Dark Knights and the elite."

Aqua nodded as she examined the young men who filled the arena. Each of them had their heads shaved and they all wore identical pairs of black pants. They did not wear shoes or anything on the upper half of their bodies. Every single individual on the field had been robbed of any trace of individuality. This too was part of the ' _values inculcation'_ process.

Almost immediately Aqua noticed that most of these young men were about Roxas' age.

"Has Roxas already been through this stage of…" the young woman couldn't find the right words, but she figured Luxord would still understand her implied question.

"Yes, Roxas is part of the elite group of Dark Knights and you cannot reach that rank without going through this level of training," the blonde Elder replied as he watched the young men undergoing relentless amounts of conditioning.

Some were doing pushups, others were running laps, a few more were sprinting up and down the steps they sat upon, but none of them regarded them. Aqua was sure if they did, they would probably be beaten and punished until they were black and blue so she tried her best to avoid drawing their attention. She knew that they were being trained to be ruthless killing machines like Vanitas and…and Terra but she still did not want them to be harmed, Aqua did not wish that kind of assault on anyone.

"But Roxas is so young. He is just sixteen," the Keyblade wielder said as she watched the other boys who were about his age being yelled at mercilessly by Xaldin.

"Roxas is also a prodigy. He can effortlessly wield two Keyblades at once. Needless to say Roxas was not a low ranking guard or standard knight for very long," he replied. "Anyway, the trainees will condition for a while longer. After that, they will try to go beyond their pain barrier."

"Pain barrier?" Aqua asked as she glanced over at him.

"It is the point at which pain becomes so excruciating that the suffering begins to diminish," Luxord said but refused to look at her.

Aqua did not ask any more questions about the pain barrier. She did not want to know what was done to break this alleged pain barrier. She merely shuttered at the thought.

_I wonder if that is how Terra got some of his scars…_

"Let us go see what the _big_ boys are doing," Luxord suggested after they had watched the trainees for a while. Clearly, he was confident Aqua had seen all she needed to see but going to see the 'big boys' was the last thing she wanted to do. However, she stood up anyway. It was not like she had a choice.

* * *

Terra was lying on the sandy ground of the practice field with his arms behind his head. He was resting. He had woken up much too early that morning. His turbulent mind was refusing to let him rest, so he lied in his bed, holding Aqua to his body while he wrestled with his chaotic, confusing thoughts.

"Terra, you better get your sorry ass up before I make you take your nap on the bed of spears!" Xigbar roared as he approached the sleep-deprived knight.

The knight loathed the bed of spears and Xigbar knew that. Dark Knights were supposed to be impervious even without their armor. Every inch of their bodies, even the most vulnerable areas such as the neck or stomach, were supposed to withstand attacks that would otherwise be fatal.

One way to train the body to do such a feat was the bed of spears. It was a brutal method in which the individual would lay on a plank covered in sharp spears while someone else would walk all over the individual's back or stomach, depending on the position. The walking would apply even more pressure to the daggers and it would be the individual's job to channel their energy into any and every part of their body to prevent being injured.

"I don't know why he is so tired all the time. If I had a girl in my bed every night, I would be sleeping like a baby. She would get an amazing nights sleep too, of course," Vanitas said confidently and pelted a practice dummy made of pure brick with his bare fists.

Terra's insane foster-brother made it sound so simple. He made it sound like she was just an object to keep his bed warm, a toy for him to play with whenever he wanted. It would be simple if he was just fucking her every night but he wasn't. He had never placed a hand on her like that. What Terra went through nightly was far more torturous than any night of passion could be…

"Maybe Aqua didn't put out last night," Demyx chimed in while pretending to do sit ups.

It annoyed Terra to the highest degree that Demyx was on his practice field. Technically, Demyx was a higher-ranking Dark Knight, but it was hard for Terra to accept him as such. The sitar-playing knight was worthless on the field and was only useful within prisons or other miniscule tasks. But due to Terra's recent… _occupation,_ Demyx was forced to do more fieldwork and Purges to help pick up the slack.

"Aw, Terra, is that true? Did your white witch not let you fuck her last night?" Vanitas teased and stopped assaulting the punching bag made of stone so he could face his _dear brother._

Terra didn't answer. He didn't have to and he didn't want to. What he and Aqua did or didn't do was none of their affair. Terra also didn't want Vanitas thinking Aqua was a virgin. The yellow-eyed demon was a cherry hound. He had a sick thing for virgins. So he chose to let his fellow knights think what they wanted.

"A true gentleman never tells," Terra finally remarked before using his powerful arm to shield his midnight blue eyes from the blazing midday sun.

"Maybe Terra was just too good and overexerted himself. I have seen the girls who he has gotten his hands on and not all of them have been _rested_ afterwards," Axel playfully ridiculed, sharpened his chakrams while sitting on the ground next to Terra.

Terra snickered with Axel.

"I don't give a fuck about what or who he was doing last night! Sunshine was late and he should already be on the bed of spears for that! Not to mention the vast amounts of laziness he is demonstrating now!" Xigbar kicked Terra's arm.

"I do not care if you are Captain! Get up! You too, Axel!" the Elder shouted and seriously considered using both of them for target practice.

The red-haired knight quickly rose to his feet while Terra only sat up. Terra was not afraid of Xigbar and was tempted to lie back down despite the threats.

Just as Terra was about to collapse onto his back again, he heard Luxord.

"Xigbar!" Luxord called as he crossed the thin, coarse sand that covered the training area, a hushed Aqua on his heels.

At the sight of his blue responsibility, the shirtless knight quickly rose to his bare feet.

_Why are they here? She doesn't need to be here! This is one of the few times a day I get some time to myself without her torturing me!_

"Luxord! You brought poppet!" Xigbar opened his arms playfully.

Xigbar was one of the several servants of Darkness within Tarnen Palace who refused to call her by name. Aqua had acquired many names during her stay there, Poppet, white witch, white whore, whore, slut, hussy, floozy, kid, girl, little miss sunshine, and…and Blue.

"She was struggling with Dark Knight concepts and training and I brought her to the practice fields hoping that it would help her material sink in." Luxord crossed his arms and looked at her with contempt.

Aqua was trying to, once again, disappear behind her hair. At that moment, she wished she had let Xion teach her that Vanish spell she knew. Then she quickly remembered that she couldn't use magic anymore so knowing the incantation would do her no good.

She sighed heavily and held her head down.

"May she watch our boys practice today?" Luxord continued.

"She could if they were actually doing anything. Our Captain is being exceptionally worthless today and the others are not much better," the one-eyed man responded with an eye roll. "I'm afraid it won't be much of a demonstration."

All training had ceased the instant Aqua and Luxord emerged onto the training field. Each of the shirtless Dark Knights who only wore sleek training pants were staring at her with harsh yet curious eyes.

"Perhaps it will be more of a lesson in discipline and punishment." Luxord chuckled and motioned for Aqua to follow him to the steps where they could get a good view.

"It is seriously starting to look that way," Xigbar huffed and scratched the back of his neck.

"You kiddos have two seconds to start body hardening exercises before I really start to lose it," the elder with a long pony tail warned.

"Are you going to do some with us today Xigbar?" Axel teased as he made his way to one of the stone columns Terra had erected for them throughout the field upon arrival.

"As if!" The one-eyed elder countered. "I've already paid my dues."

Terra gave Aqua a swift glance before he turned to find a column to use for body hardening. He disliked the exercises that required him to punch forms of stone or be bludgeoned by unyielding, sturdy objects but he had to do it to keep his fists and body firm and resistant to damage.

Aqua and Luxord had not made it halfway across the field before everyone on the training ground suddenly either fell to their knees or bowed except her.

One of the Child of Light's cobalt brows rose as she tried to figure out why they were kneeling. Aqua turned to face the direction in which all of the men were bowing toward and her azure eyes widened as she saw Lord Xehanort slithering across the practice ground. She knew she was supposed to bow too or curtsey but she still refused to pay the Overlords any form of respect.

Terra knew Aqua wasn't bowing before he even bothered to peer over at her.

The instant Xehanort signaled for everyone to raise Terra dug his foot into the earth, causing Aqua's feet and ankles to be caught in a snare of magical terrain. The assault on the lower part of her legs forced her to lose her balance but she did not fall to her knees as he had hoped.

Aqua squealed and gasped as the ground swallowed her up to her ankles. She knew instantly that it was her _guardian_. It was a warning. He wanted her to bow to the Dark Overlord. Even though the Keyblade wielder knew what he wanted and that he was giving her a warning, she did not falter.

After Terra realized his white witch was still refusing to heed him, he commanded the earth to suck her even further into his trap of terrain.

The young woman screamed as the land sucked her down by her legs until only her thighs were spared from the earthen snare. This time she did lose her balance and her hands fell to the ground before the wicked monarch who was now only a few feet away from her.

Terra smirked at his cruel victory.

"Terra! Let me go!" Aqua frantically pulled at her thighs and clawed at the solid, rocky encasement.

Terra did not reply. He crossed his arms over his thick chest and watched her squirm. The knight wouldn't help her unless she asked him nicely or showed him the respect he deserved.

Aqua continued to scream as the uncomfortable texture of aggressive rock and bristly stone dug into the sensitive skin of her legs.

Hysterical, Aqua tried to use her magic. She felt her temperature slightly drop as an acidic, agonizing pain shot through her arms and scorched every single vein and cell that made up her arms.

Another harrowing scream erupted from her throat. The sensation persisted as she tried to freeze the ground off of her victimized limbs. The more she tried to conjure the more her arms felt like they would catch on fire and that her bones were being charred to the point of disintegration. Soft, defeated sobs broke from her trembling lips as she placed her hands on Terra's rotting, villainous earth.

No one questioned Terra's judgment or his decision to punish Aqua for her insubordination. They merely watched his methods and Aqua's desperate yet resistant reactions. Roxas refused to observe the cruelty.

The woman had been there long enough to know what Terra wanted from her, but she did _not_ want to give it to him. She refused. Instead of begging for his deliverance like he wanted her to, Aqua continued to fight the restraints made of firm soil herself.

With dirt-covered hands, the Child of Light hopelessly clawed and dug at the brutal, jagged harness that held her limbs.

"Terra! Stop it!" she yelled at him again and it was not the right answer.

Terra did not stop. He held his hand out in front of his body and the ground violently rushed up Aqua's innocent body and engulfed her to her waist.

The Child of Light gasped sharply and struck the land with her fists as hard as she could, hoping that it would cause him as much pain as he was causing her.

It felt like all the bones in her lower body could snap at any moment. The pressure he was applying was utter agony and Aqua just knew that he would snap her like a twig if he tightened the snare anymore.

Her hip and pelvic bones ground and scraped inside of her as the earth relentlessly squeezed her. Her legs tried to shake as they were pushed in contradicting directions that threatened to splinter them into fragmented pieces.

"Terra!" Aqua almost begged as her bones creaked and threatened to give.

Almost was not good enough for the Dark Knight who commanded the earth. With one quick motion of his hand, Aqua was taken even further down into the menacing grip of the unforgiving terrain, the turf ingesting her until only her head and neck were free.

One more wail escaped the crushed lungs that were being savagely dug into by each and every one of the sharp edges of her bowed ribs.

Satisfied with his work, Terra lowered his arm and waited calmly and passively for her response.

"Please. Please, Terra! Please!" she succumbed and pleaded just as he wanted her to.

With one swift upward motion of his hand, Aqua was regurgitated from the snare of rock and earth. She was hurled to her hands and knees. Immediately, she weakly crawled forward to get as far away from the ground that devoured her as possible.

She couldn't breathe. She knew she was breathing but it still felt impossible. She had to force herself to take gulps of air. Aqua fought with her own body as she tried to coax herself into normal, subconscious breathing once again.

It terrified and shocked her how Terra managed to control her even when she thought he would not be able to.

"That will not always be necessary, Terra," Lord Xehanort stated and approached the man who stared steadily at the heaving young woman. "She must learn to respond properly on her own. You cannot always pull her puppet strings. Remember that."

"She catches on quickly. It usually takes one harsh lesson for her to get the message. This shouldn't be a problem anymore," the youthful captain explained as he placed his hands on his hips.

Xehanort nodded. "I am not questioning your decisions. If I did, I would not have allowed the punishment to continue. I just do not want you to forget that the goal is to get her to do these things on her own, of her own volition."

"Yes, my lord," Terra replied with a short bow.

While Xehanort distracted Terra, Roxas could not stand it anymore. It was hard for him to tolerate the abuse that had been administered to Aqua, but he knew he could not interfere. Roxas understood that it was necessary and a requirement but that did not make it any easier to watch. Now that the assault had ceased, he had to at least help her up.

Midnight blue eyes enlarged as Terra noticed Roxas from his peripheral, and he rapidly summoned a colossal rock wall that violently separated Roxas from Aqua's crumpled form.

The action could have easily killed anyone who was not as skilled or as coordinated as the dual Keyblade wielder. Roxas managed to avoid the earth but still almost received a nasty head injury from the fierce rocks Terra controlled with ease.

The young, blonde knight staggered backwards as he tried to avoid getting maimed from the captain's attack.

"Don't help her," Terra hissed darkly between clenched teeth, eyes narrowed into poisonous slits.

"Remember yourself, Roxas," the Overlord demanded. "Your kindness will be your undoing."

Once the bronze knight had stopped Roxas, he took the incentive to go to Aqua's side. He knelt beside her and watched her quiver and breathe heavily and shallowly as she rested on her hands and knees.

Terra knew he had not actually hurt her. Hurting her had not been his intention. He just wanted to shake her up a bit and he had _clearly_ done that, perhaps a bit too well.

Tanned fingers reached out for her and brushed the milky skin of her shoulder, but before he could completely put his hand on her, Aqua vigorously yanked her shoulder away from him.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed in between sobs and panicky gasps for air.

Her harsh words caused a sharp pang to shoot through his sternum and travel throughout the middle of his chest. He had felt this sensation before when she spoke harshly to him or when she seemed exceptionally distraught and it usually tickled, but it did not tickle this time. The sensation only stung and ached. When it first started happening it was just a slight tickle and stinging feeling, but now it was nothing but pain and discomfort.

"Alright," Terra complied. He lifted his arm in imitation surrender before slowly rising to his feet.

"Okay, ladies, the show is over. Body hardening exercises, now!" Xigbar commanded, impatiently snapping his fingers.

Eventually, Aqua rose to her shaky feet and held her ribcage as if her lungs would collapse if she didn't support herself. With short, sporadic breaths she staggered toward the stairs that Luxord sat on.

"Hey, I have a better idea," Vanitas said and placed his hands on his pale hips, the thin crimson and ebony wristbands he wore on his right wrist shifting down to his hand.

Every muscle in the young woman's body went rigid. She hated the sound of Vanitas's deep guttural voice. Nothing good ever followed its ghastly hum.

With tentative eyes, Aqua glanced over her shoulder at the threatening knight with inky hair.

Again, she wished that he was wearing his usual armor. When he wore his armor, she didn't have to see his frightening eyes.

His piercing golden eyes shone through his jet-black hair and gazed right at her in repulsive ways. Vanitas had a slender dark red necklace with subtle silver rings tightly attached to it while the necklace itself hung securely around the middle of his sturdy throat.

Aqua liked casual Vanitas almost as much as she did the knight version of Vanitas…

"Why don't we do a little target practice?" he suggested and approached the girl he wanted to use as the target.

"Hmm, that isn't a bad idea. It's not every day we get a moving target," Xigbar agreed with a chuckle.

"You can't kill her," Terra countered as he shook his head, causing his chocolate tresses to sway across his face.

Target practice almost always involved shooting at a victim, usually a prisoner or someone who was awaiting execution, until they were dead. Sometimes, there could even be more than one. Then it would really become a blood stained free for all. It was an easy way to perform an execution _and_ to help knights practice magic and other long-range attacks.

"Who said anything about killing her?" Vanitas spat. "You are getting _way_ too attached to her."

"Poor little Terra is going soft." Xigbar jabbed a bony finger into Terra's strong, chiseled stomach. The muscles that made up his stomach did not give in any way. Physically, Terra was far from soft.

"I am not soft!" Terra roared and struck Xigbar's hand away, causing Aqua to flinch at the sound of his powerful voice.

Vanitas could smell Terra's sugary blood. The crimson knight suspected Terra had a fresh wound and he was just dying to dig his venomous fingers into it so he could watch _brother dear_ squirm.

"Are too! Look how touchy you are about it!" Vanitas baited.

The insults were much worse because Terra was starting to believe there could actually be some truth to them.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Terra grabbed Vanitas by the throat and shoved him to the ground with one forceful push.

Vanitas was seriously contemplating jumping up and punching every single one of Terra's perfect teeth in, but he knew that hitting Terra would only hurt for a moment. Hitting the navy-eyed wonder would be an empty victory and probably wouldn't even faze him. However, torturing and teasing him were techniques that were much more rewarding. Over the years, he had learned that physical fights with Terra were fun but his rival would not be disturbed in the slightest. The real way to unnerve Terra was through his heart. The bronze knight was an impenetrable force physically, but not emotionally.

"Fine! Shoot at her all you want! Bombard her to bits! But don't come crying to me when the Overlords hear that you slaughtered her before you were supposed to!" Terra continued to bellow as he loomed over the grounded Vanitas.

Aqua rushed to Terra's side and pulled at his hard-bodied arm.

"Don't you dare let them do this to me!" she whispered gruffly so only he could hear her.

"You shouldn't have disobeyed me." Terra glared down at her sternly, his tone hard.

The blue girl's chest churned as she wrestled with her inner frustration at him. She wanted to scream at him, to hit him but all she could manage to do was return his stony glare.

Terra could see it. Her flawless, beautiful eyes were swimming with hostility, aversion, and disgust. Like always, she did not directly look at him and…and…it…kind of… hurt…

"When you are done kissing her, Terra, you can let her play with the real men." Vanitas snickered as he leapt to his feet.

"Take her." Terra grabbed a weak Aqua by her arm and slung her to the sandy terrain before Vanitas and Xigbar as if she were nothing more than some kind of sick offering.

Aqua grunted as she once again found herself on all fours.

"All right, poppet," the man with the eye patch stated as Vanitas grabbed her by her forearms and hauled her to her feet. "You are going to be a moving target so just run around the field a few times."

When Vanitas lifted Aqua, he stared at the bindings she had wrapped around her wrists. He roughly stroked the tape she used to cover her humiliating scars and she noticed a menacing ebony ring with unusual, disturbing designs engraved within the onyx metal wrapped around one of his severely calloused fingers.

Aqua's stomach lurched at his bristly touch and she tried to snatch her wrists from him.

"Did Terra hurt you, little girl?" Vanitas asked in a husky, suggestive voice. "Want me to kiss it and make it _all_ better?"

Golden eyes simmered as he stared at her and licked his lips. He observed her as if she was a gushing river of fresh water and he was a dehydrated man who had been wandering a desert for countless years.

Terra said nothing, but below his calm and collected exterior he was absolutely seething. He was so infuriated he was pretty sure he could breathe Dark Firaga if he dared to open his mouth.

Aqua squirmed and aggressively pushed at Vanitas. "Let go."

"Terra, make her behave," the golden-eyed Keyblade Master complained as the girl in his arms shoved and writhed against him. She was clearly being more difficult than he had anticipated her to be.

"No," Terra snarled softly as his arms were crossed tightly over his strapping, tanned chest He was done dealing with his rabid foster-brother. Since he and Xigbar thought they were so _smart,_ they could wrestle with Aqua's strong will and spirit for a while.

"Aw, let her go, Vanitas. She needs to be released so she can be a proper target," Xigbar said and began adjusting his Arrowguns.

The azure Keyblade wielder was refusing to cooperate, even after Vanitas liberated her arms. She did not run nor did she move from her position.

Suddenly, a glowing, light purple dagger was shot much too close to her feet.

Aqua gasped and staggered backward toward her mute _caretaker_.

"I believe I told you to run around the square a few times," the sharp shooting elder repeated sternly as he held up his dual Arrowguns.

* * *

Aqua had been upset with him before. That was nothing new. She was nothing if not perpetually frustrated, angry, and bitter at him. However, Terra had never felt he _deserved_ any of that bile, hatred, wrath, and ire…until now. She hadn't uttered a word to him since they left the training field and he couldn't really blame her for that.

Aqua walked ahead of Terra and wretched his door open, not bothering to wait for him or his approval. She silently stumbled into his room, moving rather quickly for someone who had been used as a moving target until she was physically unable to continue. She had been hurt during target practice but she had definitely been more unsettled than anything. He worried more about her emotional wellbeing more than her physical wellbeing…

The Dark Knight quickly barreled in behind her to make sure she did not get too far from him. After the unpleasant practice, he wasn't sure how she was going to react.

The Child of Light had been a mobile and stationary target for all the knights except Roxas, while the Elders watched proudly. Every weapon and spell they could muster had been chucked at her and she was covered in scraps, lacerations, bruises, scratches, and crud.

The dirt and crud had been Terra's contribution. Earth is a messy element…

The onslaught didn't cease until Aqua was almost sliced in two and burned to cinders at the same time. It was close call, one that left her prostrate on the ground in either utter exhaustion or agony. He wasn't sure which. How she managed to survive was beyond him. However, the brush with death was enough for Xigbar to call it a day and Terra was relieved he didn't have to be the one to beg for them to stop. His pride couldn't take much more but he did feel bad for her when she lied flat on the ground like a maimed animal, chest heaving, blood spilling onto the ground, and her legs deadened to the point that she could no longer walk, much less run from their arsenal anymore.

Initially, he had not planned on participating in today's cruel and unusual target practice but he had persuaded himself into it. He was their captain and he had to play his part. Terra had to set an example and a standard. His pride wanted redemption and he wanted to prove he wasn't as sweet on her as they all thought, that he wasn't going soft.

"I'm taking a shower," Aqua hissed as she stormed into his bathroom. "And, no, I wasn't asking!" She threw off her shirt and vanished into the exquisite bathroom. She didn't care if he _did_ see her exposed back. Modesty was the least of her worries.

Normally, he would yell at her or punish her for saying something like that, but this time Terra thought she had been through enough for one day.

The knight slowly and timidly walked into the bathroom behind her. Her nude back was facing him. The tender, porcelain skin was covered in nicks, bruises, and gashes while trickles of ruby fluid trickled down her ivory flesh.

"D-do you want me to heal you?" the Dark Keyblade Master offered, desperately fighting the urge to wipe the blood from her lovely yet damaged skin.

Aqua laughed wildly and sarcastically before she disappeared behind the wine red shower curtain. Once safely behind the barrier of red, she threw her shorts, stockings, and undergarments onto the floor.

Terra sighed dejectedly and ran both of his hands through his dark brown locks. He did not sit or relax while she showered. Instead, he paced back and forth like a panther. He could hear the water flowing off of her. He could her it fondling her curvy body and exploring every portion of her flawless skin.

Unwillingly, he found himself thinking about what she looked like in there. He wondered if she looked as good as he imagined she did. Suddenly, he found himself jealous of the water that was in the shower with her.

"Towel." Aqua's sopping hand emerged from behind the shower's drapery.

Terra had been so distracted by perplexing thoughts that he had forgotten to get her towels for her.

Clumsily, he rushed to the cabinet and yanked out two crimson towels for her. The knight stumbled back to the shower and filled her empty hand with the red towels.

"The red is appropriate," she hissed as she emerged and tucked the top edges of the towel down so the temporary garment would not fall off her frame.

_No one will see my blood on it,_ she thought with vast amounts of scorn.

Terra could not help but notice that she didn't allow him to help her into her towel like she did sometimes. Not that it mattered… He just noticed.

_She is mad at you, remember? You were a complete asshole to her today._

The young woman stomped into Terra's room and began ripping through his dresser drawers for one of her white slips. She purposely threw his deplorable clothes into the floor as she searched for her own.

"Stop it," he scolded and began picking up the clothes she wrathfully strewed across every inch of his room.

" _Stop it_ ," she mocked, forcefully chucking one of his stupid shirts at him.

"I mean it. Stop," her guardian gently warned again.

"Or what? You'll catapult rocks at me again?" Aqua pushed his chest with one of her hands.

"Or maybe you can make the ground swallow me up to my neck. This time you can completely sink me into the ground!" she pushed him again, harder and with both hands this time.

Terra did not argue. He just took it. He probably deserved it.

"Turn around or something. I have to get dressed," she chastised as she turned her back to him.

Again, Terra did not argue. He merely did as he was told and listened as her soaked towel plopped onto the floor.

The young woman silently put on her typical thin, white slip with lacy trim. It was all she had to sleep in and - much to her dismay - she had grown accustomed to them. She found that they were actually really comfortable once she got use to their sheer texture.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Aqua blurted out once she was dressed. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She wanted to know why.

"Why did you expect me to? Why do you always expect me to protect you?" the young man countered.

Aqua reeled. She had never thought about it like that before. It wasn't until he put it that way that she realized how much truth there was to it.

"If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, I don't do that. You know I don't yet you still expect me to shield you," he said, turning around to face her again.

She didn't answer him. She couldn't answer him. Honestly, she had no idea why she thought that he would protect her time and time again. No matter how many times he failed to, for some idiotic reason, she still thought that he would. Maybe she wanted him to. Maybe it wasn't that she thought that he would, but that she _wanted_ him to be her protector. Perhaps she wanted a literal guardian instead of an imitation one, something or someone to shield her from the harsh elements of this horrible world…

Once Terra realized the dispute was over, he left her and went to remove his training pants.

While her faux knight in shining armor prepared for bed, Aqua went out on the balcony. It had become her favorite place inside the palace even though she had only experienced it that morning. On the balcony, she could close her eyes and she could pretend she was somewhere else. She could listen to the sounds of nature and she could hear the water of the fountains. The sounds seemed to calm her despite everything. After the day she had today, she needed something that could offer her solace.

For a long time, Aqua sat on the railing of the balcony with her eyes closed and thought of being somewhere else. She thought about Twilight Town, she thought of the Destiny Islands, and most of all, she thought of the Land of Departure, her home.

"Are you coming to bed?" a sturdy voice brought her out of her reminiscence and just like that, she was back to the place she hated the most.

"No," Aqua snapped, her eyes ripping open to glare at the man addressing her.

"No?" Terra probed and took a step onto the patio.

"No. I am not going anywhere _near_ you tonight," she explained with intense resolve.

"Don't be stupid." the knight rolled his deep blue eyes and continued to approach her.

"Don't touch me," the girl warned as his hand snaked around the curve of her elbow. "Don't touch me! Don't!"

Terra did not utter a word. He simply took his screaming companion to the bed while she did everything humanly possible to remove his grip on her elbow. She kicked, she screamed, she hit, and she scratched, but the knight did not waver.

Aqua shouldn't be surprised. She had learned all about the body hardening exercises they did. She knew about the exercises that involved trainees punching walls and rocks until their hands were solid, and the process of being stricken repeatedly until their entire bodies could withstand the trauma of an attack. After today, Aqua would _never_ forget Dark Knight training regiments. Luxord had made damn sure of that.

"Aqua! Enough!" Terra commanded. He grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her and sincerely looking down into her gorgeous pools of blue.

"No!" she screamed and tried to yank her shoulders from his palms. "You all think I'm helpless, don't you?!"

With a sigh, the broody knight listened but refused to release her.

"You think that I will die here! You think you will get to execute me and that you will all get to laugh and jeer at me!" the Child of Light yelled hoarsely and persisted to fight Terra's fixated grip.

"Aqua…" he said softly as she jerked and pulled so much that he too jolted from her force. He was shocked at the strength she had, especially after everything she had been through that day. It was…impressive but he was too distracted by her actions to dwell on it or even appreciate it as he should.

"But I will escape!" she cried and began beating his warm, muscular chest with firmly clenched fists. "I will get out of here!"

The young man watched her intently and willingly took each blow she landed upon his upper body.

"I will! I will!" Aqua wailed, her fierce strikes turning into faint thuds. She had reached her breaking point.

"I will. I will." Her forearms stilled and rested on his toasty chest.

Terra felt her hesitantly molding into him. He wrapped his arms around her cool shoulders and pulled her closer as she began to cry.

"I will... I will…" she insisted in between sobs as her moist, rosy cheek rested against the unarmored knight's chest.

The Light Keyblade wielder hit him one last time before her tears began to cascade down her face onto his tanned chest.

The bronze warrior embraced her and she cried on him. Tenderly, he held his arms around her shoulders and gently stroked her unique hair.

Soft, ethereal features were buried into his chest as more and more warm tears flowed down her pink cheeks and crashed onto his thick trunk.

_She is always so chilly…but her tears are warm…_ he mused.

"I hate you," Aqua whimpered as sobs proceeded to explode from her mouth and her tear-streaked cheek grazed his sultry skin. "I hate you…"

"I know," replied Terra softly, resting his head on top of hers while she embedded her face further even into the warmth that radiated off his study chest. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> So this chapter was intended to give everyone an idea of how Terra was raised and how Dark Knights are made. Like always, Terra's background will be explained in more detail later. And, yes, I know I am a terrible person. I am always torturing poor Aqua and I am always making Terra and Aqua fight, but keep in mind that they are in a complicated situation and they are not always going to get along. I have to keep it realistic but I digress. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. The Desperate Kingdom of Love

After picking her up bridal style and carrying her to bed, Aqua had spent most of the night crying on Terra’s chest. For a while, the knight thought she was on the brink of an absolute crying binge, but apparently, she just needed to let her frustrations out. She held everything in until it violently exploded and once she started, she couldn’t stop.

When finally she finished weeping, she slept like a baby. Terra knew that her eyes would torment her once she awoke. He could tell by looking at her now that they would be puffy and red when she opened them.

_She will still be gorgeous though,_ he thought before attempting to sling the foolish thought into the deepest, darkest corners of the Dark Realm.

What was making him think that way? He had never thought abou _t anyone_ that way before.

_I need to get laid. Yeah. That's what it is. It has been way too long. I haven't been able to get laid since she started staying in my bed. It’s just physical need, right? And she is the closest thing to me so that has to be it. Once my need for the opposite sex is sated, I should get better and this nonsense will stop._

Even though he was convincing himself that it was physical need that was drawing him to her, he couldn’t stop staring at the blue girl who was sleeping on his chest.

She looked so peaceful and ethereal. Terra's chest began to swell in the most unorthodox way. It felt like his lungs were growing so large they would pop his ribcage open but it wouldn’t even care if they did because it felt… _good._

Terra came to the conclusion that didn’t really mind having her in his bed. He might even like it a _little_ bit. What he disliked the least was having her on his chest. The Dark Knight had to admit that it wasn’t awful waking up with her soft head on his torso, her natural fragrance lingering in the air, the melodious sound of her breathing reverberating against his eardrums, and her hair teasing his tanned skin.

When she was asleep he could pretend that she didn't hate him…

_I wouldn't hate waking up like this every morning…but she would…_

That thought was so uncomfortable and basically downright painful that Terra had to get out of bed. He couldn’t stand her laying on him like that anymore. It went from good to bad so fast it could give someone whiplash.

Gently, he grabbed the small porcelain arm that was draped carelessly over his chest and laid it on Aqua's curved side. As he shifted and moved away from her, the slumbering girl lightly groaned in dissatisfaction and rolled onto the flat plains of her stomach.

Once he detached himself from the Child of Light, he stood and stretched his aching muscles.

Yesterday wasn't just hard on Aqua; it hadn't been a cakewalk for Terra either. Vanitas and Xigbar hadn't been _completely_ inaccurate when they said he was getting soft. Since Aqua had been placed in his lap (figuratively speaking of course), he didn’t conduct many Purges and he didn’t spar or train like he was supposed to. The lack of physical activity had caused his muscles to become sore from yesterday's strenuous workout, which was uncommon. Terra couldn’t remember the last time he got sore from physical activity…

Pushing the demeaning thoughts away, Terra adorned his body in black, gold, and bronze armor. However, he didn’t put on his helmet. Aqua had repeatedly made it abundantly clear that she did not like it when his helmet was on so he would avoid putting it on as long as possible.

Once dressed, the bronze warrior gingerly sat on the bed beside his serene roommate. He wanted to watch her for a few moments before he would be forced to wake her. He wanted to enjoy her undisturbed, tranquil expression a bit longer before he had to stir the contempt and hatred that came with her consciousness.

"Aqua," he whispered and brushed her hair off her pure but slightly hidden face with cautious fingertips. "Come on. It’s time to get up." Carefully, he shook her appetizing, bare shoulder.

The female Keyblade bearer was exhausted and she wasn’t waking up. Her face turned in her sleep to face the direction of Terra's distinct voice but her eyes didn’t open.

Instinctively and without giving it a second thought, the Dark Knight reached out and stroked her delicate face with the back of his fingertips. Realizing he was doing nothing but lulling her back to sleep, he quickly stopped.

"Come on, Aqua," he called a bit louder, joggling her shoulder a bit more. "I've let you sleep as long as possible. Up!"

"Don't…want to," the incoherent young woman mumbled into the satiny sheets. "Xehanort..."

Even though she wasn’t completely conscious yet, she was already dreading her presumed _lesson_ with Lord Xehanort.

"That’s right. I’m taking you to Lord Xehanort today so you need to get up," Terra said sternly as he got to his metal feet.

Bright yet slightly blood-shot eyes fluttered open and glanced in his direction. He was surprisingly glad to see that all the crying hadn’t drained the light that radiated and sparkled inside her lovely eyes.

"How long have you been up?" she inquired hoarsely, wriggling on his bed and burying her face into his pillow.

As her face caressed the smooth, silky texture of his pillow, Aqua realized kind of liked the way his pillow smelled. He smelled of cinnamon, wet clay and maybe a touch of honey? It was his own unique aroma and she could never quite figure out what it was that he smelled like. She just knew that she almost liked it.

Subconsciously, she pulled the ebony pillow a bit closer.

"Long enough to get ready." He ripped the covers off her body and began tugging at her toned waist with both of his ironclad hands. Aqua shrank beneath the harsh, cold texture of the gauntlets but didn’t stir further. "I am about to get pissed if you don't get up, Aqua. I'm not playing anymore."

Terra could tell that she was just avoiding the inevitable now and that she was no longer simply waking up. She was awake. She was merely being stubborn.

As he held her chilled midriff, he saw where her injuries and lacerations from the day before had bled through her white slip at some point during the night. Crimson spots and streaks tarnished the otherwise unsullied garment and bruises that were not there previously had blossomed along her skin…

The aquamarine female shook her head and placed her arms under his pillow in order to bury her head further into its fluffy texture.

Now she was really trying his patience. This was why he could never be kind to her. She would always take advantage or his mercy.

A growl erupted from Terra's throat before he bent over and wrapped his burly arms around her smooth waistline. Aqua stiffened as he hauled her out of the bed by force.

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when she squealed and began hitting the hands and arms that were secured around her middle.

"Put me down!" she screeched as she was towed out of the warmth and safety of Terra's massive bed.

"I told you to get up!" Terra countered as she kicked and thrashed in his arms.

"Now get ready!" He dropped her to her feet and pushed her toward bathroom.

Aqua stumbled forward gracelessly and flailed a few times before she regained her footing. Once she was sure she wasn’t going to fall, she glared over he shoulder at the man who had just mercilessly shoved her.

"Jerk," she huffed under her breath as she fixed the straps of her garment that had gotten disheveled in their little scuffle.

* * *

When Aqua and her _guardian_ entered the elaborate Grand Hall, Xehanort _and_ Marluxia were already waiting for them.

"Why is _he_ here?" she whispered and tugged at Terra's blackened cape.

Terra scoffed. "That’s a good question."

The Dark Knight was just as surprised as Aqua was to see Marluxia. The Seer Sage was _supposed_ to be at the prison located in the desert near Palamecia with Ansem and Saïx. Clearly, that was no longer the case.

"Where are the other Overlords?" she whispered as she continued to hold onto Terra's cape until her knuckles bleached.

As she waited for her words to grace his ears, she took a moment to examine her eerie surroundings.

The room – while still unimaginably ominous - was not as menacing as it had been the first time she entered it months ago. She wasn't sure if it was because there weren’t as many people in the massive hall or because she had been tainted that much since the last time she had been here... Darkness still manifested within the unholy room but it wasn’t as thick or as threatening as it had been when she initially crossed its threshold.

Maybe it didn’t appear as dense because it was during the day or maybe it was because she wasn’t nearly as distraught this time.

_Or maybe the Darkness doesn’t resent you as it did originally. Perhaps the Darkness isn't that angry with you anymore. Maybe you are more corrupt than you think._ She shuttered and tried to remove the depressing thought from her mental faculties.

"Ansem is at a prison and Xemnas is probably at the Palace of Retribution with the Elders. A minor trial is being held today," she finally heard the ironclad male answer in a gravelly, husky voice from within his helmet.

Terra desperately wanted to warn his charge of the seer's devious and menacing abilities, but he couldn’t do so now. It was too late. Marluxia would sense it…

Once they reached the base of the stairway that led to the thrones, Terra knelt while Aqua merely placed her hands in front of her body and held her head down in an almost bow. It wasn’t the reaction the knight was hoping for, but it was better than nothing.

"Welcome," the bald Overlord greeted them, lacing his fingers and placing them over his mouth. "I hope you do not mind that I have asked Marluxia to join us today."

Terra was afraid of that. If Xehanort _wanted_ Marluxia there, then he wanted him to either probe Aqua's or even his own mind. Maybe both…

"I thought he was supposed to be helping Ansem and Saïx." The statement being Terra’s polite way of asking: _‘what the hell are you doing here.’_ He was also careful to not reveal their location.

He knew they were in Palamecia possibly dealing with Kairi or even Sora and Aqua didn't need to know _anything_ about that. He had been given strict orders to not let Aqua know _anything_ about her sister. That detail was crucial to her rehabilitation, even though Terra didn’t know the exact reason why. It was not his job to know the details; he only did as he was told.

"His services were no longer required. He served his purpose there and now his presence is required here." Xehanort fingers wriggled against each other like creeping, crawling invertebrate animals.

_I was afraid of that,_ Terra grumbled inwardly.

"Before we begin, I would like to have Marluxia examine Aqua's progress." The Overlord motioned for the seer to approach her.

Aqua automatically took an apprehensive step backward.

It took every fiber of Terra’s being to not ask his sovereign for permission to warn Aqua of what was about to happen to her. She had received lessons with the Seer Sages before but he doubted they would warn her about this. No, they needed her unaware so they could get the jump on her later.

Just as the female Keyblade wielder was about to ask what the Overlord meant by _‘examine her progress’_ , a sharp prick stabbed through the back of her skull and pierced into her brain.

With shaky hands, she reached behind her head to remove whatever it was that was violently digging into her head. Ivory fingers parted her hair so she could reach the bare skin of her head and find the unpleasant wound or injury but Aqua couldn’t find it. She could not find what it was that was that was savagely worming its way into her defenseless, unsuspecting head.

"T-Terra?" she asked with trembling, unfocused eyes. She collapsed to her knees and held her distressed head in her quaking hands.

The pain intensified, a sharp scythe boring into her skull, into her brain. Whatever it was that was trying to snake its way into her head was extremely persistent. What started as a prick swiftly turned into a torrent of punctures and hornet stings.

As the young woman continued to fight, the torment continued to escalate. Her entire body was convulsing and all her nerves were beginning to sizzle and deteriorate. Aqua's ears began to ring before her hearing completely muffled. Blood filled her ears to the brim and began to ooze out of her auditory canal. She could feel the thick fluid traveling out of her overflowing ears and seeping down her jaw.

"Just let him do it." Terra's compassionate - yet muddled - voice barely resonated in her ears. His voice should have been louder than it was. He was close to her; she could his gauntleted hands hold her shuddering shoulders.

Aqua didn’t know what was happening or what the demented knight was talking about but at this point she was willing to do _anything_ to stop the unwanted assault.

Aqua closed her eyes and stopped trying to remove the intruder from her brain. She even stopped thinking. For a moment, she went deadpan. She emptied, became blank… It terrified her because she knew it wasn’t a completely conscious decision on her part. Something helped her turn herself into nothing but a husk.

The instant her mind stopped racing and she stopped trying to figure out a way to put an end to the pain, it came to an abrupt halt. The intense pain was gone but was quickly replaced by a new form of discomfort. Silky tentacles wound around her brainstem as if to keep her cerebrum in place before the tentacles stretched out and moved up into her brain. The tendrils delved into the tender cerebral matter and crept in between every single wrinkle of her brain.

Once the slender threadlike appendage wrapped around her brain she could no longer resist it. She was helpless and she had to let it take whatever it wanted.

That seer, Marluxia had tore open her skull with a scythe so he could consume the delectable, untouched morsels in her head, her thoughts, her memories. Once he was inside, everything else was sucked out by a tornado of rich, creamy rose petals.

Roses, all she could see was glowing, coral-colored roses. Behind them was a sea of off white, gray… They were there to distract her, to keep her mind at bay so he could have his way with it and it worked. Like a mouse distracted by the claws of a scorpion, she watched the beautiful flow of roses as his stinger, his scythe went deeper and deeper into her hide, poison running thick and spreading in her bloodstream.

Terra hated seeing this. He hated watching her be paralyzed, watching her eyes die. Aside from the uneven, shaky rise and fall of her chest, Aqua looked like one dead, someone who had died suddenly, unexpectedly.  

After what seemed like an eternity the brutal onslaught ceased and the satiny, abnormally flexible illusionary limb withdrew. The roses blew away with the unnatural wind that brought them and her senses returned. Her vision cleared and the regained the ability to think, but at a brutal, painful price.

With lucidity, came savage pain as she was struck by all of her senses returning much too quickly. Aqua felt like she would pass out. Her entire body went numb and she fell onto something hard, something that rattled when she hit it.

"The first time is always the worst. It will be less painful from now on," Marluxia’s voice was far away but it rang clear as a bell and she realized she hated that man’s pleasant voice.

Her tearing eyes stared blankly at the blackened, limitless ceiling of the Grand Hall. She could smell the Darkness that hung in the air of this contemptible room as she tried to recover from whatever it was that had just happened to her. Her head lobbed over and collided with what felt like protective covering.

"Terra?" Aqua queried, still trying to retrieve her eyesight, the imprint of nothingness and rose petals lingering in her corneas.

"Yeah. I'm here." She felt him lightly squeeze her shoulder in reassurance and she melted within the comfort that came with that fact.

"Let me… Just let me close my eyes for a minute," the girl pleaded deliriously as she laid her head on the cold carapace that she knew covered the knight's heated chest.

Terra silently held his blue responsibility, kneeling down beside her. His knee supported her back while one of his arms enveloped her shoulders and his other held her tiny, wrapped wrist.

When he noticed the blood trickling down her jaw and neck, the brunette tenderly wiped it away with his thumb.

_I’m sorry…_ he mused.

"She will be fine in a few moments," Marluxia said dismissively as he watched Terra hold the azure captive with uncharacteristic amounts of affection, worry, and tenderness.

The seer and the Overlord exchanged knowing glances. Although Aqua and Terra were being spoken to, they continued to only acknowledge one another. They were completely wrapped up in their own deranged, little world and they were not even aware of it.

"While she rests, tell me what you saw," Lord Xehanort finally spoke as he peered at his seer.

The Seer Sage stared at the unorthodox _couple_ a few more seconds before blinking rapidly and glancing at his liege.

"I will have to consult with Zexion, but what I saw appeared to be somewhat promising," the salmon haired seer replied with a shrug.

"Her future is still very delicate and unpredictable. What we feared is still very possible I’m afraid, but the future we desire is also within the realm of possibility," Marluxia continued. "Sadly, she her future is still very uncertain, likely do to her strong will. However, at the same time, things also seem to be playing out as we hoped they would."

"So we have done all we can?" Xehanort questioned, holding his folded, crumpled hands over his mouth.

"As far as I can see. Zexion may be able to inform us of more. It mainly depends on her." The Seer Sage nodded his head in Aqua's direction.

"And Terra?" the Overlord asked.

"Perhaps," Marluxia replied with a sneer. "It is a bit too soon to tell."

Aqua's cobalt orbs reopened and she glanced up at the man holding her. "Thank you."

The Dark Knight didn’t reply but he helped her up.

"Better?" Marluxia inquired.

"I think so," the Keyblade bearer answered as she placed a hand on her pulsating forehead.

Suddenly, a hiss erupted from Terra's grinding teeth. He was the victim of Marluxia's velvety death grip now, but he resisted. The knight _loathed_ having his mind invaded by the seers and he would withstand _any_ amount of pain to prevent it from happening.

Midnight blue eyes shot daggers at the emotionless seer as he withstood the pain and aggressively fended off the infringement.

"Terra," Lord Xehanort scolded flatly. "Submit."

An intense scowl formed within the knight's faceless helmet.

Reluctantly, Terra clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, and allowed Marluxia to desecrate his mind.

The Seer Sage hadn’t been lying when he said the first time was the worst. Terra could remember the agony he felt the first time Marluxia vandalized the sanctity of his conscious and subconscious. He had just been a boy when the older seer took away the privacy of his inner thoughts and memories. Unlike Aqua, he had fought longer and with much for furor. Not only did Terra's ears bleed; his eyes and nose gushed vermillion fluid as well. Even as a child Terra had always believed he could outmatch anyone, but he was mistaken.

As an adult, he could only tolerate the tortuous touch of the seer. Over the years he had conditioned himself to withstand it. He could even keep his vision from being clouded by the swarm of manipulative rose petals meant to divert his attention and give him a false sense of ease, but that didn’t mean it didn't cause him intense physical suffering to do so.

"See? Was that so bad?" the velvety, tranquil voice of Marluxia questioned.

"Yes," the knight replied sourly as he ripped his headgear off his head and rubbed his unfortunate temples.

For the first time in her life, Aqua wanted to comfort Terra. At that moment, they were both victims of the same cruelty. If she wasn’t so opposed to touching him, she would have placed her hand on his arm or caressed the hand that kneaded his temple, but she _was_ opposed to touching him so she merely stood next to him and kept her hands to herself.

Wanting to comfort Terra made Aqua think of Ven. If it were Ventus standing next to her, she would have comforted him in a heartbeat. She would help him rub his temples or she would hold him until the pain subsided, and he would have done the same for her…

"Are… Are you ok?" Aqua asked softly yet hesitantly, demanding her sympathetic hands to stay at her sides. To avoid doing something she would regret, she tightly clasped her hands together and twiddled her slender fingers.

"Hmm?" Terra mumbled as he glanced over at her. She looked concerned and he couldn’t believe his eyes. The concern couldn't be for him...could it?

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay," he replied and desperately tried not to grin or flat-out smile at her.

"Now that the unpleasantries are out-of-the-way, let us begin!" Xehanort clapped his ghostly hands together. It was an attempt to break the illusionary spell that had once again fallen over the young man and woman.

Marluxia gave a contemptuous smile as he watched Aqua and Terra. They were subconsciously drowning everyone out as they were captivated by one another...again. It was as if they continued to forget where they were and who they were in the presence of, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

"I have a question for you, child." The Dark Overlord gracefully descended the ruby carpet that coated the center of the stairway that led to the thrones.

Aqua took a step back.

The Overlord closed in on her and took her angelic face in his repulsive hands.

"What makes you so sure that your _Light_ is something good?" He spat the concept out as if it was bitter poison. "Why do you think that we are the ones that are wrong?" the monarch questioned asked again as his nightmarish yellow-orange eyes burned into her irises.

The question was meant to shake her resolve. It was intended to make her question everything that she stood for. At that moment, she realized that this wasn't a lesson. Xehanort wasn’t going to teach her anything. He was going to unearth everything she knew to be true. The Dark Overlord was going to corrupt her from the inside out.

Terra watched Aqua closely. He had once asked her a very similar question and he was curious if her answer would be different since Lord Xehanort had asked her this time.

Aqua could feel the building tears burning behind her eyes. She was afraid and the question reminded her of her imprisoned master.

The orange-eyed sovereign was preparing to uproot the seeds of righteousness Eraqus had diligently planted in her heart throughout her lifetime. She was terrified that he might be successful in removing the beautiful flowers of Light that he considered grotesque weeds growing in a perfectly good field that could be used for a vast, extravagant garden of Darkness.

With a quivering lip and tearing eyes, she looked directly into the immoral eyes of the unquestionable ruler.

"I was raised on it," she replied gently but shakily as tears streamed down her creamy cheeks and onto the Overlord's gloved hands.

* * *

"Is she still a threat to us?" Xehanort asked as he stood before the two male Seer Sages, his arms locked behind his hunched back.

"Unfortunately," Zexion said flatly as he sifted through his massive book.

"I don't understand it. We have taken everything from her. We are rehabilitating her just as planned. How can she still be a threat?" the slightly irritated sovereign rambled.

"I do not know the why, my Lord. I only know what could be, but not all hope is lost. _Our_ Aqua is emerging as well, but we just have not been able to _completely_ remove the… _problematic_ Aqua from the future yet. That is all." the young Seer Sage was very optimistic despite the slight, momentary doubt he had experienced after receiving the questionable visions and memories from his salmon haired companion.

"She merely needs more time. We all knew this would take time and that she would be resistant." Marluxia peeled back his rugged jacket and placed his gloved hands in his pockets. "I saw how she and Terra interacted today. That part of the process is playing out just as we hoped it would and Terra doesn’t suspect a thing."

The monarch didn’t reply for a prolonged period of time. He simply sat in his throne and clawed vehemently at his armrests.

"Very well," Xehanort relented with a nod. "Tell Vexen to proceed with the experiments as planned.”

* * *

Xion's fingertip slowly slid down the list of pending executions posted in the town of Karnak.

Karnak was one of the many towns Xion, Riku, Ventus, and Naminé had visited after leaving Amur. It was an unusual, dingy town surrounded by towering, burnt sienna walls. The abnormal town almost mimicked the architecture of a fort. Everything was some shade of umber or maroon and the streets were pure mud and dirt. The country houses and shacks that filled the suburb were beige with deep burgundy shingles.

Heartbeat booming in her ears, Xion read the countless names of unknown strangers awaiting their death.

"She isn't on here." She released a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. "She isn't there."

Naminé sighed in relief and let go of her older sister’s hand as her feet shifted in the slushy mud she they on.

It was a relief that Aqua wasn’t awaiting execution in Karnak, but that also meant that she probably wasn't there at all. They had learned in the nearby town of Tule that Karnak had a small, underground prison where those waiting to be prosecuted were sometimes held. The penitentiary was used to imprison as well as hold prisoners until they could be sent off to a larger, high-security prison, an execution, or sometimes even to Hollow Bastion.

"Do you think Riku had any luck in the prison?" the blonde girl asked as she adjusting the baby blue sweater she wore over her white dress.

The chill in the autumn air was intensifying and she was glad Ven had encouraged them to buy warmer clothes before they left Tule.

All the trees within Karnak were turning into rusty, fall hues of orange, yellow, and red. Naminé couldn’t believe it was already autumn. Time had passed differently since Eraqus and Kairi were Purged.

"I hope so," Xion said gently as she pulled up her hood.

She was starting to regret the decision to only buy a fitted black hoodie and not pants as well. Her jean shorts were very cute but they weren’t very comfortable in the escalating cold.

Xion doubted Riku had obtained any luck. They hadn’t had much luck since they left Amur. Only a few people would help them. Everyone else was too afraid to aid them. They were asking questions that went against the Dark Rule and that was something that could get a lot of people into infinite amounts of trouble. Event those who had offered them assistance couldn’t provide much. All they knew was that the Dark Knights had headed north.

So that was what the group did. They would stop in any and all towns that lied to the north, trying to follow a trail that had gone cold long ago.

It was time-consuming. The group would figure out which towns to go to then they would actually have to travel there which took even more time. They would visit random towns and cities until they got a new clue, lead, or suggestion. So far, everyone kept telling them to travel north.

"Is she on there?" Riku asked as he lifted his blindfold to inspect the lists. The dead, autumn leaves crunched under his feet as he positioned himself in front of the morbid indexes.

"No, thank goodness," Naminé said, rubbing her petite shoulders to fend off the cold.

"I'm guessing since you’re asking, you had no luck in the prison." Xion looked over her shoulder at Riku.

"No. No one was down there except people awaiting execution or maybe trail in the Dark Capital if they are lucky." The silver-haired young man walked to the wanted posters, folding his arms as his icy eyes carefully inspected the notices.

Aqua wasn’t on any of them, but Riku was.

"They are here too," Xion declared softly as she put a short strand of blackness behind her ear.

"Yeah. I figured they would be," Riku said bitterly. He reset the blindfold over his recognizable eyes before forcefully ripping his wanted poster off the building side.

During their journey north, they had seen countless wanted posters of Riku throughout the small cities and metropolises they had visited. He was wanted for aiding Aqua. The posters simply called him a fugitive and traitor of the Dark Realm, but they all knew the real reason why they wanted him. They didn't even really want him. The posters only said they wanted him dead or alive, which – in the Dark Realm - meant they wanted them dead and them would be slaughtered one way or another, either on the spot or after being taken to the Overlords for a reward.

The Dark Keyblade Master was officially a fugitive. Technically, they were all fugitives. Naminé, Ventus, and Xion had just not gotten the official seal yet, but they were expecting it at any time. They all knew the risks that came with looking for Aqua and they had accepted them.

However, by searching for their friend, they were able to stay on the move and had a better chance of avoiding capture or arrest.

Riku wore his cloak and covered his pale eyes with a black blindfold to hide his unusual, identifiable features. Not many men his age had silver hair and frosty blue eyes.

"Maybe we should consider some...outside help," the girl with black hair suggested. "Maybe the Opposi--"

"Shh!" Riku tightly covered her mouth before she could finish the blasphemous sentence.

"Don’t even _mention them!"_ he hissed coarsely. Just saying the name of the resistance group was punishable by death.

"But, Riku, maybe they could--"

"They could get us into even more trouble!" he interrupted again. Riku knew the Opposition wasn’t necessarily a _bad_ thing and that they were basically on the same side as them but they were a completely different kind of beast, one that Riku was not ready to get mixed up with. Riku had mingled with the wrong crowds before and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

"Are they bad people?" Naminé whispered as faintly as she could. She was curious about the topic and she knew that Riku probably knew more about the Opposition than most, being as well traveled as he was. The resistance group was something that was only talked about in hushed tones and in shadowed alleys during the dead of night.

"I don't know for sure, but I do know that they are something we don't need to be talking about," Riku answered gruffly. "Unless you _like_ having your tongue ripped out and shoved down your throat until you choke to death."

The sisters decided to drop the dangerous subject and help Riku take down any of his wanted posters that were scattered across town.

"Hey," Ven greeted blankly as he approached his small party, slinging the mounds of fallen leaves as he walked.

The eldest sibling had just finished questioning everyone in Karnak who would speak to him. The quartet had obtained a routine during their travels. Naminé and Xion would check the death penalty directories and wanted posters, Ventus would question townspeople and shop owners, while Riku would do sneakier, more hazardous work.

At first, Riku had helped Ventus question the hoards of people, but since they had been finding more and more of his wanted posters, they had decided it would be best if he kept a low profile and didn’t speak to anyone unless he absolutely had to. As a result, Riku started doing things like eavesdropping on guards and infantrymen or busting into local prisons while the others did their jobs.

The Keyblade wielder with golden hair placed his numb hands in his jacket pockets. He was about to ask if they found any clues or had any news until he saw them staring intently at the wanted posters.

He let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. "More?"

"More," Naminé replied solemnly.

"Please, tell me that _you_ have good news." Riku threw his coal-black hood over his head in vexation.

Ventus frowned and shrugged. "Same as always. They headed north.”

"Damn it," Riku hissed under his breath.

He was afraid of that. The farther north they traveled, the closer they got to Hollow Bastion and the more dangerous their journey would become. They would be in the heart of the Dark Realm soon. They would no longer be in occupied or neutral provinces.

"What?" Ven’s brow rose.

"We are getting closer to the Dark Capital." Riku spoke in low, hushed tones, not wanting any unwanted, disloyal ears hearing him.

Ventus's blue eyes went distant as he stared at the muddy ground that made up the unusual streets of Karnak.

"Ven, if they took her to Hollow Bastion, we’re fucked," the Dark Keyblade Master said bluntly.

They could go to a lot of places, but Riku seriously doubted they could just waltz right into the capital. Especially with him being a wanted fugitive and all...

"Language," Ven chided, gripping the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry," Riku apologized with a wince. He wasn’t used to traveling with young women. "Seriously though. If they took her there…"

"We don't know that they did," Ventus interjected.

"No. We don't know that but the longer we travel north, the closer we are going to get to Hollow Bastion.”

"Lots of towns lie further north," the Light Keyblade bearer argued dismissively as he peered up at the cloudy and smoky sky above them. "Besides, why would they take her _there_?"

Riku wasn't sure why they would go through the trouble of taking someone like Aqua all the way to Hollow Bastion. If they wanted her out-of-the-way, they could have just taken her to a local high security prison or simply executed her in Amur.

Most people who were Purged weren’t taken to Hollow Bastion. They were usually taken to a detention center or executed in the town in which the Purge took place. Special, questionable, or undetermined cases received trials in Hollow Bastion, but trials were almost a thing of the past now. The Court didn’t even bother with trials much anymore. Everyone was merely guilty until proven innocent and people were rarely given the chance to prove their innocence.

Trials were often something that happened after an arrest and/or during a Purge and Aqua wasn’t Purged she was just...taken, and Riku really doubted they would execute her in the Dark Capital. Executions were often a way to make examples out of people and that wouldn't be necessary in Hollow Bastion. That place was crawling with completely loyal Dark Followers and they didn’t need to be reminded that traitors would be executed on the spot that often.

It was all inconsistent and confusing. Riku was from the Dark Realm himself, hell, he had even done munny-oriented dirty work for Ansem for a short time but he still couldn’t make sense or their tactics or the unique situation involving Aqua's abduction.

"I’m not sure but we need to accept it as a possibility," Riku finally replied after his mind stopped racing.

After what happened in Amur, Riku was exceptionally paranoid. He would never forget how they had pinpointed their exact location and how quickly they had caught onto everything. He would never put anything past the Dark Rule again. They may have caught him off guard once but he was determined to never let it happen again.

"We need to stay positive," Naminé chimed in. "I doubt they would take her to Hollow Bastion. They don't really have a reason to take her there."

"Right. We haven't seen any wanted posters for her and we haven't seen her awaiting execution anywhere yet. So she has to be in another town," Xion said, trying to convince the others as well as herself. "We just have to keep looking for clues. They probably just took her to a correctional facility closer to Hollow Bastion."

Deep down Xion knew Riku was right. If Aqua was in the Dark Capital, they were fucked.

* * *

Terra slammed the girl into a nearby wall, forcefully shoving his hands up into her skirt and holding her up by his powerful hips. Big, warm hands wandered over her hips and played with the fragile lining of her undergarments. Long fingers teased the shear lining as he grazed the back of his fingers along the top of the garment and taunted her by almost sliding his appendages down the front of the delicate article of clothing.

As he continued to provoke her with his tempting hand, he ground against her lower body in a profoundly provocative manner.

She was a random servant girl who lived in the palace. She was a dirty blonde with caramel eyes and wild, curly hair that fell just below her shoulders. Terra didn’t know her name but her name wasn’t important.

Her uniform was that of the typical servant girl within Tarnen. She wore black stockings up to the thighs that were wrapped around Terra's bulky waist. The frilly, ebony apron she wore around her midriff was on the floor of her tiny, inadequate living quarters. The ruby dress she wore was short-sleeved and flowed just below her hips, and the buttons that held it together at the top were about to be ripped open.

Gauntleted hands tore open the top of the garment, causing the servant girl to gasp pleasurably.

The buttons popped and clinked as they hit the dingy concrete floor of the girl's room that was located far in the other side of the luxurious palace.

"You can get another one," the warrior said in a raspy voice as he ripped the top of the garment apart so he could expose her chest.

Terra wasn’t wasting any time. He didn’t have time to. If he were going to get back in time to retrieve Aqua from her lesson in the Grand Hall, he would have to cut to the chase.

"I don't know how to remove your armor," the nameless girl admitted breathlessly in between moans as he stripped her off the gray wall.

All that remained of the upper portion of her uniform was the slender, feminine tie that hung loosely around her neck and dangled between her bare breasts.

"It's okay," replied Terra blandly as he effortlessly sat her upon one of the counter tops in her tiny kitchen. "We only need the bottom portion off anyway."

He could see the disappointment on her flushed features. She clearly wanted him to remove everything. Terra could tell that the servant knew that him only removing the bottom part of his armor meant that he wanted this to be quick.

She was right to assume that he wanted this to be swift. He didn’t have time (or the desire) to be thorough. The main reason he was doing this was to end the torment he went through nightly with a certain Child of Light. Terra was sure if he were sated physically, it would put an end to this ridiculous _infatuation_ he had with her.

The Dark Knight reached up into her short skirt again and yanked her undergarments off her stocking covered legs. The girl held onto the cabinets over her head as he removed the obstruction.

The blonde woman grabbed his face once he finished and pulled him to her. She was about to kiss him when he jerked and moved to her stocky neck instead. For some unknown reason, he didn’t want to kiss her on the lips.

_Afraid of being unfaithful, pretty boy? Don't want to cheat on your white whore?_ a voice that sounded a lot like Vanitas mocked from inside his head.

As he devoured the blushing flesh of her neck, he began to think that he _might_ have slept with this girl before. The subtle, sporadic freckles that marred her skin were vaguely familiar. He had probably kissed her the last time they were together and he had probably been much more attentive. That would explain her obvious disappointment with his haste.

Thick, short fingers tangled in his brown hair as he continued to ravage her balmy neck.

_She is warm. She isn't cool and refreshing like…_

Terra bit the girl's neck before he could finish the stupid thought that threatened to make itself known inside his mind.

The servant girl moaned and pulled at his chocolate locks as he continued to gently gnaw at the tender spot between her shoulder and neck, trying damnedest to make it appear as though he had bitten her on purpose.

His lips traveled lower over her pronounced collarbone and began discarding the lower segment of his armor. He licked in between and over her breasts, continuing to wrestle with the armor that covered his lower body.

Once all the barriers had been removed, he grabbed the blonde's rear, pulled her toward him, and tilted her body so she was basically hanging off the counter.

Terra needed to get just the right angle before he entered her properly.

He might be in a hurry but he wasn’t about to get sloppy.

Haughty hands lifted and pushed the bottom of the dress up her hips so the garment wouldn’t inhibit his movements. The curly-haired girl willingly spread her legs and gripped his armor-plated shoulders, waiting for him to act.

Terra licked his suddenly dry lips and looked at the girl in front of him. Her big doe eyes were hooded as she stared up at him and ran her hands over the back of his solid neck. His chest started to burn and ache, his hands twitching on her nude hips.

_Just do it!_

The bronze knight slowly lifted her by her hips.

_Come on, Terra, don't be a pansy!_

He buried his face in her neck, but she didn’t smell like lavender and jasmine…

_You have to!_

He brought her to him and pushed against her womanhood.

_You will never be free of this sorceresses' curse if you don't!_

But he couldn’t do it. Terra couldn’t fuck this girl. Suddenly, it was abundantly clear that fucking her wouldn’t fix a thing.

"Is something wrong?" the anonymous girl asked when she felt him hesitate and pull away.

_Yeah. Something is definitely wrong._

Terra growled and put his forehead on her shoulder in frustration. He began to sweat, the ache in his chest intensifying, his breath becoming shallow and hastened.

"Fuck!" he hissed and practically threw her back onto the counter.

"Terra?" The servant’s face turned bright red.

The young man swallowed hard. "I… I'm sorry. I-I can't."

This was a conversation he _never_ wanted to have with a woman. The worst part was it wasn't because he couldn't perform _physically_. It was because he couldn't commit to the _deed_ …emotionally.

"Oh." She shamefully covered her chest." Did… Did I do something wrong?"

_No. I am obviously the one who did something wrong._

"No." He ran his hand down his slightly sweaty face.

Terra bent down and began redressing the lower half of his body.

It was degrading on so many different levels…

As the embarrassed, blonde servant jumped off the counter, the brunette leaned over her kitchen sink. He felt like he might get sick.

Terra had felt guilty. He actually felt as if he was being… _unfaithful._ Those were just two of the many reasons he couldn’t perform, but what was making him physically ill was the fact that he had realized that he had wanted the blonde girl to be…Aqua…

The Dark Knight wanted her dirty blonde hair to turn blue, her caramel eyes to transform into cerulean orbs, and her freckled skin to mutate into flawless porcelain.

"Do you want some water?" the half-naked servant asked softly and placed a hand on Terra's broad back.

"No," he spat, vigorously pulling away from her touch.

She frowned and her hand quickly retracted as if he had scalded her.

"I have to go." Terra started to apologize but no words would ever be able to make up for the immense amounts of embarrassment she probably felt.

He grabbed his discarded helmet and busted through the small one room accommodation the girl inhabited.

His breathing was uneven as he dashed through the substandard, homely wing of the palace where the servants lived.

As he ran, he began asking why. Why him? What had he done to deserve this kind of torture? Was the Light punishing him? Just because Terra didn’t follow or obey the Light didn’t mean that he didn't believe in it. He knew that the Light was very real. Maybe this was divine punishment for all the dark endeavors he had committed since a very young age?

Perhaps it was worse than that. Maybe Darkness was displeased with him. Maybe he was being punished for caring for a Child of Light? Could the Darkness be disciplining him for his impudence? For being weak and letting the Light sorceress bewitch him?

Terra didn’t make it far before he had to rest his back against the charcoal, concrete walls of the impoverished extension of Tarnen Palace. He pounded his head against the hard, frigid stonewall and mentally chastised himself. He battered his _obviously_ empty head until he was on the verge of giving himself a concussion.

Grabbed large fistfuls of his chocolate-colored hair, the Dark Knight pulled at his roots until he almost yanked every single hair out by their ends.

He had been wrong. He had been _very_ wrong. His body didn’t crave flesh. He wasn’t simply infatuated with Aqua, and he didn't just care about her. It was something much more sinister. It was something that made his chest a swarming inferno and made the blood-pumping organ inside his chest sting in unnatural ways.

Terra might… Maybe he… No, he did… He loved her… He was in love with Aqua.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> All right, I have had a few questions about Aqua's powers and her training with Terra etc. and I promise WE WILL GET THERE! Keep in mind that the bad guys are trying to keep her from being talented until they are sure it can work in their favor. So they aren’t going to allow her to gain new abilities etc. if they think it’s going to come back and bite them. I’ve tried really hard to make really smart, clever, and seemingly invincible villains. Again, I want this story to be realistic in every aspect. I just want to ask you to continue to be patient with me and to trust me. I know I have a weird vision and that I have created a bizarre universe but hopefully you enjoy the story anyway! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	13. An Attempt to Tip the Scales

"You smell funny," Aqua complained as she walked with Terra through the dimly lit hallways back to his accommodations.

"I am sorry my fragrance offends you, my lady," Terra ridiculed emotionlessly as she watched him shift uncomfortably within his armor.

"You smell like…really expensive…really pungent...perfume…" she thought out loud before gasping. "You smell like a girl!" she exclaimed as she realized the source of the aroma.

"Never mind! Never mind! Forget I said anything! I don't want to know!" Aqua covered her blushing face with both of her elegant hands.

The Dark Knight said nothing.

The Light Keyblade wielder knew Terra had a reputation around the palace, but that didn't make smelling another woman on him any easier. She understood that he was a twenty-one year old male with... _needs_ but the thought of him doing _stuff_ with someone else still made her uneasy…

"Please, just wash it off before bed." Aqua wrinkled her nose at the girl's strong lingering odor.

"You got it," Again, Terra submitted coldly.

Apparently, he wasn't in the mood to argue with her. For a guy that just got laid, her guardian was being uncharacteristically glum and brief. He wasn't speaking unless spoken to and when he did speak, he spoke in curt sentences. Not that it bothered her…

* * *

Terra's strange behavior continued even after they returned to his living quarters.

"What is wrong with you?" She finally had to ask. She was starting to worry that something bad might have happened to him or maybe he had gotten some bad news about her rehabilitation.

Had she done something that would get her in trouble? Or maybe he was hurt? Maybe Marluxia had hurt him more than he let on the other day.

Terra was silent, unresponsive. All he did was drearily remove his gauntlets with detached eyes.

"Terra," She spoke a little louder, but he didn't hear her. The downcast warrior only continued to remove the upper sections of his armor in a daze.

"Terra!" She finally yelled.

"Huh? What?" The knight jumped and clumsily dropped a piece of golden armor.

"I asked if something was wrong with you," Aqua reiterated softly. She watched him with worried eyes as he bent over and struggled to pick up the chunk of protective covering.

"What?" Terra his brow furrowed and he shook his head, his back straightening as he finally managed to put the illusive piece of armor onto the mannequin. "No. No."

"Marluxia didn't hurt you the other day, did he?"

"No." He scoffed.

"Am I in trouble or something?"

"No."

"Are… Are you mad at me?" The question slipped out before she had the chance to stop it.

"Don't be stupid," Terra grumbled, rolling his midnight blue eyes and removing his massive chest plate.

Terra was right. She was being stupid. It didn't matter if he was mad at her or not…

Silently, he continued to remove the upper portion of his armor while Aqua sat on the foot of the lavish bed. Once he finished, he propelled himself face first onto the bed.

"Terra?" The Keyblade wielder placed her hands on the neatly made bed and leaned toward the motionless knight.

"Hmm?" She faintly heard him mumble into the thick covers he was suffocating himself with.

"Can I take a bath tonight?" Aqua asked gently and reluctantly, desperately trying to calm her coiling nerves.

For the past few weeks, Aqua had been trying to reestablish her connection to her magic while she showered. Her time behind that shower curtain was one of the few times she got any time to herself. The problem was, it didn't last long enough for her to make any real improvement.

Terra was a lot of things, but stupid was definitely not one of them. If she stayed in the shower too long, he would grow suspicious of her. So she couldn't spend enough time trying to regain her magic. She was making little to no progress.

Aqua knew if she could convince Terra to let her take a bath, she would have more time, and might be able to develop an immunity to the magic suppressant she was given monthly.

Over the past few months, she had noticed a pattern with the suppressant. The magic suppressant would wear off after several weeks. Her body would regain its natural chill and it would try to reestablish the severed connection on its own even without her help.

At first, she thought it might have been a fluke. The first night she had _cuddled_ with Terra for warmth, the knight had explained that her body was fighting the suppressant and that it was desperately trying to regain what it had lost…her magic. Before she tried anything, she wanted to be sure that the same thing would occur every month and it had.

It was a long shot, but Aqua was pretty sure with some time and practice, she might become immune to the suppressant. Even if she couldn't gain an immunity, perhaps she could at least learn to use _some_ her magic with it in her system. Maybe she could break the pain barrier so that she could withstand the pain of conjuring.

_'Mm hmm, it is the point at which pain becomes so excruciating that the suffering begins to diminish,'_ the blonde Elder had said.

Aqua was about to give up on her hopeless quest to recover her magic until she had heard the card dealing man speak of pain barriers. It was just the motivation she needed to not give up. It convinced her that such a seemingly impractical feat could in fact be possible.

_If Dark Knights can do it, I am sure I can. Maybe my lesson with Luxord wasn't a total waste after all. It encouraged me to break my own pain barriers._

She needed to act soon. Terra would be taking her to Vexen any day now and she had to practice while she had the chance and when the suppressant was at its weakest.

"You have gotta be fucking kidding me." Aqua his bulging muscles ripple and tense with displeasure as he spoke.

"What do you think this is? A spa?" He lifted his head to look at her.

"If this place is a spa, it is the worst spa ever," the Keyblade wielder countered and crossed her arms, coaxing a dark laugh out of the man next to her.

"Aqua, I barely have the patience for your lengthy showers much less a full-blown bath," he fussed as he folded his arms under his head.

"Patience is a virtue," she chided lightheartedly, reminding herself of Master Eraqus.

Terra chuckled. "Well, patience has never been _my_ virtue."

"Please, Terra," she implored sweetly with pleading eyes.

Aqua was willing to beg if it would convince him to let her take a bath. She was even willing to play nice if it would get compliance out of him. She might even flirt a little if it would persuade him…

"Seriously? Are you actually begging?" Terra propped himself up on his elbows, and peered at her over his muscled shoulder.

The young woman nodded innocently and she allowed herself to gaze into his indigo eyes. She would tolerate the discomfort to win him over. She would do whatever it took.

Their eyes mated for a long moment before he said: "Alright."

"Really? You mean it?" she cried as he removed himself from his enormous, ruby bed and headed toward the bathroom.

"Yes. Now hurry up before I change my mind." He begrudgingly removed himself from the enormous, ruby bed and headed toward the bathroom.

Relief flooded her heart as she quickly got to her feet and scurried after him. His unusual dismal mood had made him much more lenient and she was glad she had waited until tonight to ask him for a bath.

Aqua smirked at how well she had played him. She had taken full advantage of the situation and she was quite pleased with herself.

"Will this take long?" Terra groused, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger.

"It will if you keep complaining about it." Aqua almost teased as she pulled the shower curtain back and began filling the oversized tub.

"I hope you are going to put that thing back." The Dark Knight inclined his head in the direction of the curtain.

"Don't be stupid." She actually did tease him that time, placing her hands on her hips as she mimicked his statement from earlier.

"Ah ha! You're hilarious!" he countered sarcastically as he leapt onto the sink's granite countertop.

Terra was definitely in a perplexing mood and Aqua couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him.

Before the water got too high, Aqua slipped off her shoes, removed her stockings, and lifted her lengthy sash so that it wouldn't get wet in the rising water. After she was sure she was behind the safety of the curtain, she removed the rest of her clothes and dropped them to the ground outside.

Once her clothes were gone, she looked at her bandaged wrists and repressed a sigh.

Slowly, she started unraveling the white bindings she wore around her joints to hide the disgraceful scars. They didn't hurt anymore but she still hated seeing them. Aqua despised her permanent, scarlet bracelets. If Terra hadn't caught her deceitful wrists, she might not even be here right now. Inspecting the disfigurements always reminded her of how she had failed…

The Child of Light took the removed bandages and added them to her pile of clothing.

"I should probably get you some warmer clothes," Terra called over the sound of rushing liquid.

"That would be nice!" Aqua began sinking into the lukewarm water. She didn't want the water too warm. She needed to get as close to Blizzard as possible while still creating the illusion of taking a warm bath.

"You probably don't even get cold naturally but I will go into town and get you some anyway." She didn't have to see him to know that he was shrugging as he spoke.

Pearly teeth chewed her pale red bottom lip. She probably needed to keep him talking. The knight might not get as impatient or keep as close a watch on how long she had been in there if he was distracted…

"What are Larxene's powers like?" she asked the first question that came to mind as she used her foot to turn off the surging water. "I learned what Marluxia can do first hand and I have seen Zexion get visions and write in his book but I have never seen Larxene do anything other than-"

"Be a bitch?" Terra stated impassively and she heard his metal heels bashing impatiently against the wooden cabinets below the sink.

_Keep him distracted… Keep him distracted…_

"I wasn't going to say that," Aqua responded before completely submerging herself into the slightly warm water.

"Think of Marluxia and Larxene as…Yin and Yang. Push and pull. You learned the other day that Marluxia can pull. Well, Larxene can push."

"Push?" she inquired as she hurriedly washed her body so she would have more time to practice.

"Yeah, Larxene can project thoughts and visions into another person's mind through somatic touch," he explained and Aqua heard him playing with objects on the granite sink.

"As you know Marluxia only hurts if you resist him, but Larxene hurts regardless," she heard him continue as she began making a gag out of a washcloth. If she whimpered or screamed from the pain, she didn't want Terra to hear it. She could _not_ get caught. Too much depended on this.

"Does it hurt worse than Marluxia's pulling?" Aqua asked. She genuinely wanted to know. It was hard for her to imagine something worse than Marluxia's scythe and barbed tentacles.

"It's hard to compare them because they are two completely different forms of suffering," the brunette on the other side of the curtain answered. "Hopefully, you will never have the privilege of comparing them."

As Aqua bit her homemade gag and began trying to freeze the surface of her bath water, her mind began to wander. She had always assumed Terra had always had a privileged and pampered life of luxury, but hearing him talk about the pain he had endured from the seers made her wonder if his life had actually been that easy.

When she realized she could cast without experiencing intense pain (like the pain she felt a few days ago when Terra encased her in earth), she removed the washcloth from her mouth. Enough time had passed and the pain – while present – was not excruciating.

"Were you a practice dummy or something?" she asked after attempting to cast a _very_ feeble version of Cure onto a gash that rested on her leg, one of the many she received during target practice.

"No. They just have a dark sense of humor and they get a sick thrill from toying with people," Terra confessed.

Aqua wasn't surprised. She had spent some time with the Seer Sages and they weren't the most pleasant people to be around…

_I guess Terra isn't **that** bad. He could have been a lot worse anyway…_

"Has Larxene pushed a lot of images into your head?"

Her Cure spell was basically nonexistent and failed to mend the wound. She was realizing that mini Blizzard was all she could muster…

_This is pathetic, Aqua. You won't be able to accomplish any form of escape with this frosty garbage,_ she scolded herself as well as her pitiful display.

"Mm hmm," Terra muttered, "There have been many occasions where I have been required to receive visions from her in order to accomplish certain tasks."

That statement made the sapphire Keyblade wielder wonder if that was how their little… _romance_ was sparked.

"Is that how you two…got together?" Aqua suppressed a chuckle as she created icy claws on her fingers.

Her ice was faulty. The claws of frozen water were brittle and dry. The frost claws quickly turned to dust and dissolved off of her fingertips.

_Worthless…_

Terra laughed dryly. "We are not about to talk about my love life."

"Oh, so you loved her?" Aqua giggled and rubbed her aching arms. She had probably reached her limit and she doubted she could do much more without causing some permanent damage.

"No. I don't think I did." His tone was suddenly very serious again, so serious that she had to peak around the wine red shower curtain at him.

The Dark Knight looked _so_ melancholy. Aqua would even venture to say that he appeared downright defeated. It was as if he had accepted some horrible fate or that he had just reached an appalling conclusion.

"I'm ready to get out now." Aqua stood up and began letting the now chilled water out of the massive, Jacuzzi-like tub.

A desolate sigh sounded from the other side of the drapery and she knew he had gotten up to get her towels.

Timidly, Aqua peeled back her curtain and watched him. When he turned, their eyes locked. She faintly smiled and for the first time since he came to get her in the Grand Hall, his eyes brightened. His expression softened and one side of his mouth curved into an almost smirk or maybe a smile.

Terra closed his royal blue eyes, held his head to the side, and opened the towel for her.

Aqua emerged from behind the curtain and stepped into the towel that was spread out for her.

Midnight blue eyes opened and he calmly helped her wrap the gray towel around her feminine form.

When his toasty hands slid over the curve of her waist and hips, Aqua's heart clenched and she held her breath.

As she continued to hold her breath, she adjusted the top of the towel into a secure knot as Terra placed a second towel over her head.

Mischievously, he began to roughly shake her hair and head as he pretended to dry her cobalt tresses.

The breath she was holding exploded out of her lungs as she started to crack up.

"Terra! Stop it!" she squealed, holding her head down in an attempt to get away.

"What? I can't understand you?" he teased with chuckled as he continued to harshly toss her hair in all different directions.

' _What was that? I couldn't hear you?'_

Their momentary fun was ruined when his words suddenly reminded her of her capture in Amur. He had said something _very_ similar when she had told him she would go with him and wouldn't fight him… Right before he proceeded to butcher her wrists…

"Okay. That's enough." Aqua bristled. She couldn't see, but she felt him stop.

Tenderly, he held her chin and tilted her head up. The towel was slowly pulled back to reveal her damp features. Their blue eyes had connected again. Aqua gazed down into his endless spheres of despairing royal blue and she found that couldn't look away.

_Terra looks…heartbroken?_

The Child of Light smiled brilliantly at him. She couldn't stand for anyone to be that sorrowful. Even if it was Terra, she wanted to try to cheer him up a little.

But her smile did not cheer him up. He only sighed, shook his head, and left the room abruptly.

Did she do something wrong? Her guardian usually liked it when she smiled at him. At least she had thought that he did...

* * *

"Where are you going?"

"To the Grand Hall?" Aqua hesitantly answered. Obviously, that was _not_ where they were going today.

"No. We are going to see Vexen first." Terra snapped his fingers and motioned for the blue girl to follow him.

_I swear he never tells me anything._

Aqua was glad that she had decided to act when she did. Once Vexen gave her the magic suppressant, it would be a while before she could even _think_ about using magic again. Honestly, with the Seer Sages around, she was afraid to think at all...

"It's a bit early isn't it?" the Keyblade wielder inquired.

"A little. But you aren't just getting magic suppressant today," the knight replied flatly.

Terra's peculiar mood was a bit better than it had been the day before but he was still a bit…off.

"Have they finally decided to euthanize me?" Aqua kind of joked but she probably shouldn't fool around with things that could easily become a brutal reality.

"Maybe. I didn't ask," he responded and knocked on Vexen's door.

"Come in," the crazed scientist called.

Aqua could hear the bubbling test tubes and the clinking of vials resonating inside the lab-like room before she ever entered. She absolutely detested this room.

Terra opened the door for her and, reluctantly, she entered to see her examining table was cleared off for her.

Aqua's nose wrinkled in disgust.

It didn't matter how many times she came in this room to get these repulsive shots, it never got any easier.

"Do you want to sit up or lay down for your blood draw?" Vexen began arranging his lengthy needles and vials on one of the metal counters in the bizarre room.

"Neither," Aqua answered much too quickly.

"Terra, I am not doing this," she whispered, glancing back at her false knight in shining armor.

The young man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have been through this."

"I am not used to him putting stuff _in_ my arm much less taking stuff out of it!" Aqua complained as she stared at the lethal looking needles the mad scientist was sterilizing.

The lunatic in a lab coat enjoyed his profession way too much.

"We can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way. As always, _Blue,_ it's your call," Terra spat as he removed his gauntlets, preparing for a struggle if it came to it.

The Light Keyblade wielder didn't like the way he called her Blue. She didn't necessarily mind the nickname he had given her. She might even like it a little. She certainly liked it more than the other detestable names she received around the palace so the name didn't bother her. She didn't mind it but what she did mind was the way he had said it.

"He isn't taking my blood," the young woman challenged fearlessly.

Aqua didn't know what they wanted her blood for, but it couldn't be anything good. She had seen Vexen setting up his microscope and the crazed look in his feral, jade eyes. They were going to examine it and do Light knows what else with it…

"Alright," the brunette said with a groan before he bent over and grabbed Aqua by her legs, effectively hauling her over his armored shoulder.

"No!" she shouted and bludgeoned his steel-plated back and shoulders to no avail.

"Vexen, strap her feet. I'll hold her arms," Terra commanded sternly as he toted Aqua to the morbid examining table.

"Last chance to behave," he heeded once more as he patted her backside.

Aqua hated how easy it was for Terra to take control. She wanted to freeze his armor and shatter it to vulnerable chunks but she couldn't. The Child of Light had to wait for the perfect opportunity. If they found out she could use her magic, they would increase her dosage and she would be back to square one.

The Keyblade wielder continued to struggle and fight in spite of Terra's latest offer. She had made up her mind that she didn't want to be poked and probed. It would happen anyway but she didn't want anyone to ever accuse her of not trying after she was dead.

_No. Don't think like that. You are going to get out of here. You are going to escape and you are going to save Kairi and Master Eraqus. And you will see Xion and Riku and Naminé and Ventus and even Sora and Master Yen Sid again. You will. You will,_ she assured herself as she was forcefully slung onto the metallic table, her breath being harshly knocked out of her.

Heated hands shackled her to the frigid surface and the knowledge-based Elder quickly strapped her feet to the other end of the table with thick umber restraints.

"Terra," she pleaded weakly, arching her back and squirming against the wintery table. The side of her face accidentally grazed against his exposed forearm and it was surprisingly comforting, comforting to the point that she stopped trashing as much.

Her knight did not utter a word, but began gently stroking her pinned wrists with his thumbs.

"Terra, please," Aqua begged once more but he did not let her go. She realized this _was_ going to happen. She could not stop it. She had done all she could…

After releasing a subdued sigh, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek on the Dark Knight's warm skin and waited for the assault to commence.

Raw fingers that were not Terra's began to trace the tender, pulsing veins on the inside of her arm. Cobalt eyes squeezed tightly shut when the sound of Vexen tapping the walls of the needle's tube violated her ear canals. Sapphire locks sprayed everywhere as she tossed and turned a bit more before she nestled her face into the knight's arm once more. Somehow, the heat managed to calm her.

Suddenly, the grotesque needle was inserted into the vein in her arm. It scraped and tore at the tender tissue and nerves around the puncture point. Aqua winced and bit her lip, resting her cheek on the tanned flesh of Terra's forearm.

"He is almost done," Terra announced gently, continuing to softly stroke her forearms and wrists with this fingertips.

Aqua nodded against his tanned hide, her eyes still tightly closed in a stubborn grimace.

After what felt like ages, the needle retracted, but the girl knew that the torture wasn't over. She still had to receive her injection of magic suppressant.

Slightly parted eyes observed Vexen swiftly moving to the other side of the table, his white coat flapping behind him like demon wings. The scientist roughly inserted the thick, pea green fluid into her bloodstream with a much too stocky needle.

Aqua had begun hating what happened after the suppressant was administered more than the actual injection. She could get use to the pricking and tearing of the muscle, tissue, and nerves in her arm, but the seizure like tremors that went through her body immediately afterward never got easier. Her body had adjusted to the shot itself and the noxious fluid inhabiting her body, but not what occurred directly after it was inserted into her bloodstream.

Terra lifted her head and sat next to her on the table and laid her head back down on his lap. She rolled onto her side and tightly wrapped her arms around her waist, her head resting on the knight's lap.

The night after she was taken to Hollow Bastion and was given magic suppressant for the first time, the substance had not tortured her body as it did now. The longer it was inside her body the more her body rigorously fought the invasion. It was a disturbance. A disturbance that kept her body from doing what it had done for years. Aqua didn't want to know what kind of long-term side effects could surface from the deadly toxins the magic suppressant contained swimming through her body.

Burning, chunky liquid traveled through the veins and arteries in her arm and slowly slithered to the vital organ in her chest. Aqua violently shuttered as the abnormal heat spread like a disease and clashed with her natural body temperature.

When the Keyblade wielder closed her eyes she felt Terra gingerly stroking her hair. His fingertips caressed the corners of her face before they glided back down into her azure tresses. She relaxed a bit even though her body continued to savagely tremble uncontrollably.

After spending immense amounts of time with the Dark Keyblade Master, Aqua had learned that he was not one for verbal apologies, but she knew that he was apologizing to her now. Each caress was a silent apology and for some stupid reason, she accepted each one.

"Figures," Vexen huffed, holding his eye to the microscope.

"Hmm?" Terra's voice vibrated against the metal of his helmet as he continued to use his fingers to brush through her hair and press lightly at her hairline.

Aqua glanced up at him as every inch of her body quaked. She could not see his handsome eyes, but she could tell that even though he had answered the Elder, he was still fixated on her. She wanted to take his helmet off or tell him to do so but she was too busy shaking.

"Her blood isn't as exposed to necromancy as her sister's but this one is _extremely_ responsive to the mystical arts and extraordinary sorcery." Aqua could barely overhear Vexen's assessment and for a moment, thought she had misunderstood him.

_Wait. Did he just say I was more magically inclined? That's not right. Kairi was always the prodigy. Right?_

_Master always assumed you were the best at magic. Maybe you were just always too afraid of the Dark Rule to really try or test the theory. Kairi was never afraid,_ a voice much like Xion's answered her.

Another fierce tremor brought Aqua out of her contemplation.

"I-I feel sick," she mumbled as she slowly sat up.

"Vexen, get her something!" Terra commanded as he compassionately rubbed soothing circles on her shaking back that was now covered in gooseflesh.

As soon as the bedpan was in front of her, she lost it. Everything she had eaten for breakfast was aggressively heaved from her distressed stomach.

Aqua coughed and spat into the silver bedpan as her guardian lightly held her hair back for her.

"Vexen, this is getting worse," Terra said and Aqua thought she might hear some worry in his unwavering voice.

Regardless, Terra was right. It was getting worse. The suppressant caused different side effects each time it entered her body, but as long as it wore off at the end of each month Aqua would tolerate the other inconsistent, worsening side effects.

"The prisoners seem to manage," the Elder said dismissively. "It shouldn't kill her."

_Prisoners? Are they giving this junk to Kairi? To the Masters? To Sora?_

"It is none of our concern anyway. She wouldn't have to have this done every month if she would simply cooperate and not act like a damn heathen," he added venomously and continued to intently inspect her blood.

Maybe being more submissive wouldn't kill her… Maybe if she played her cards right, she could avoid having these _lovely_ shots each month…

* * *

Cerulean eyes stared blankly at the cascading, overlapping canopy of crimson above the bed. The Dark Knight had actually left her alone while he went to converse with the Dark Overlords. Aqua still wasn't allowed to listen to them scheme about her rehabilitation, but it did seem like Terra did somewhat trust her to be alone now. That or he trusted the guards outside…

"The Overlords want to see what your made of today." Rainfell's charm fell onto Aqua's toned middle.

She had been so zoned out she hadn't even heard him return. She had no idea how long he had even been in the room. She blamed the magic suppressant.

"Are you serious?" Aqua exclaimed as sat up and held her precious Keyblade's talisman to her chest. She was so happy she could have kis- _hugged_ him.

"Yeah. I'm serious," he replied and placed a fist on one of his hips.

Aqua was excited and terrified at the same time. She was ecstatic that she was going to get to do something other than eat, bathe, sleep, and receive 'lessons'. Then she was terrified or what _'seeing what she was made of'_ entailed. She couldn't help but think about the last time she did any kind of training with the Dark Knights…

"I'm rusty." the Keyblade wielder summoned Rainfell to its proper form in her hand.

The leathery hilt felt like absolute heaven in her hand. An old dear friend had returned to her, an old dear friend she had missed desperately. As she held Rainfell, she was reminded that being a Keyblade Master was her true calling. It was what she was made for. It was her destiny, her dream. She was not meant to be just a wielder but a full-fledged Master like…like Terra.

"I'm sure they aren't expecting you to be very good anyway." The brunette shrugged.

"I'm not that bad!" Aqua argued. "I fended you off, didn't I?"

Terra laughed uproariously.

"What's so funny?" she hissed and crawled across bed toward him.

"That you think you stood a chance against me," he bellowed again.

"I busted your helmet," the young woman reminded him, sitting upright and crossing her arms.

"I still caught you." The knight casually straightened his gauntlets.

"I'm still faster."

"I'm stronger." He smirked and took a step toward her.

"I'm better at magic." Aqua watched his indigo eyes begin to smolder.

"I have more stamina." Terra removed his helmet, tossed it on the bed, and leaned towards her.

"I have more vitality." She cocked her head to the side.

"Prove it," the Dark Knight taunted seductively, his heated breath crawling over her slightly parted lips.

Aqua accepted the challenge and tried to nick his jaw with Rainfell's tip but he grabbed her wrist before it could make contact.

"No fair! I'm not even off the bed yet!" she whined, trying to free her joint and get onto the carpeted floor.

Terra laughed. "Then you shouldn't have attacked until you got onto the floor!"

Aqua admitted this wasn't her most brilliant moment but she had just gotten so caught up in the challenge and the tense yet thrilling suspense their special personalities had created that she hadn't thought things through like she normally would have.

Without hesitation, Aqua summoned Rainfell into her free hand and struck at his head.

"Whoa!" Terra ducked and blocked the attack with his ironclad arm.

This time, Aqua didn't delay at all, she instantly pivoted and countered. Rainfell bashed against the armor-plated arm Terra was using as a shield. She wanted to prove her point that she was indeed faster than him.

The brunette fended off the indigo Keyblade and reeled backward but Aqua did not falter. Her baby blue eyes shone with confidence as she stood gracefully with unmatched amounts of poise.

"Rusty, huh?" he questioned with a winded chuckle before he rushed at her.

Aqua had expected him to call for his massive Keyblade, but he didn't. Terra was leaning toward hand-to-hand combat even though she had called forth Rainfell. Then she realized he was probably trying to prove that he had more stamina and that he didn't even need his Keyblade to defeat her.

The girl yelped and Terra tackled her to the bed.

"No! Terra! You don't fight fair!" she protested as she fell onto the oceans of red, writhing beneath his weight.

"Oh, it's fair!" Terra argued as he chained her wrists to his bed.

"If I can do it," he said with a grunt as he struggled to pin her wrists. "It's fair!"

"Dark Knight logic." Aqua rolled her sparkling azure eyes as she tried to find a way out from under him.

As her mind raced, she realized for the first time how close they were to each other and how he was in between her squirming legs.. She repressed a fierce blush as her body continued to rub and brush up against his protective covering.

"Give up yet?" Terra flashed his most charming smile.

"No," Aqua huffed and she tried to kick him off of her. "You do realize if I had my magic, this would already be over."

"I can use magic too, you know," the knight reminded her and pressed himself even further against her until their faces almost touched.

"We have already discussed this," Aqua replied breathlessly. "I'm better at magic."

With as much strength as she could muster, she dug her knees into his stomach and rolled out from under him.

"Ah, ha!" she cried victoriously and stumbled away from the bed.

Her victory was short-lived when she heard Terra snarl and jump to his feet. Savagely, he grabbed her wrists and spun her around so that her back was facing him. The warrior's chiseled chest was completely compressed to her back and before Aqua could protest, he had pushed her against the nearest wall. His chin rested on her shoulder and his face was all over her neck and jaw. She could swear that she could almost feel his searing lips graze the sensitive skin of her ivory neck.

She shivered.

"Okay. Okay. I get it." Aqua vigorously fought the unusual, animalistic sounds that threatened to erupt from her throat from feeling Terra against her like that. It was…provocative and it made her feel funny and uncomfortable. Her stomach twisted into tight, unalterable knots.

"You win, Terra! You win!" she yelled as her wrists and arms began to hurt from the firm hold he had her in.

The Dark Keyblade Master liberated her bandaged wrists and Aqua massaged her sore joints. Like always, any fun they managed to have together was short lived. One of them would always be pushed to far or they would remember that they were actually enemies… Something would always spoil their fleeting enjoyment.

The knight cleared his throat. "I have to change into my practice clothes. After that, we can leave."

* * *

"Like the sweater…thing?" Terra asked softly as they made their way through the gloomy gardens behind the palace.

"Yeah," Aqua replied honestly as she inspected her new attire. "You did a really good job picking it out. I couldn't have done much better myself."

Aqua was being genuine when she spoke of the garment Terra had gotten for her due to the changing seasons. It was navy blue and made much like her normal shirt except this one was thicker, almost like a sweater, and had sleeves. Its sleeves were long but she had rolled them up since it was not that cold that day. Plus, the recent dose magic suppressant was giving her hot flashes. Despite that, the attire was perfect for the current climate and her personal taste. Terra had clearly based his decision off of her summer garb.

_He did the right thing,_ she thought with a smile.

The Dark Knight had bought her a variety of pants, leggings, stockings, and long skirts as well but she didn't change into any of them. It wasn't that she didn't like any of them; she just wanted to keep some of her old life with her. Aqua wanted to hold onto what little she had of her former self so she continued to wear her shorts, her stockings, and her ankle-length sash.

When the Dark Knight and the Child of Light reached the training field, the Overlords, a few Elders, and the other Dark Knights were already there.

The knights were sparing while Xigbar, Xaldin, and the Overlords watched. Vanitas and Demyx were scraping with Roxas while Axel chucked chakrams at a Claymore wielding Saïx.

_I guess Ansem and Saïx are back from the prison they went to,_ she mused.

"You're late," Xaldin chided blankly from his place next to the Overlords, hands held firmly behind his broad back.

"I'm aware," Terra said before he stood upright and bowed elegantly.

Not wanting a repeat of what happened last time she was on this field, Aqua gracefully inclined her head forward. It was not a real bow, but it seemed to pacify everyone.

"We got a bit…sidetracked. You have my sincerest apologies," Terra continued.

The young woman's face heated when he said 'sidetracked'. She knew what he was talking about. He was talking about their _playful_ spat. Her cheeks grew even hotter when she remembered their close proximity and the way he had pressed his entire body up against hers. How she had lost her head and gotten so caught up in their carnal vehemence that she had almost moaned when Terra mounted her against the wall…

"Did you return her Keyblade to her?" Lord Xehanort asked as he stood to address them.

The bronze knight nodded.

"Good. She can observe sparing for a while so that you can practice then she can participate after you have finished the required conditioning for the day," the bald monarch responded and motioned for Aqua to take a seat next to the younger Overlords.

As always, she did not want to but she did not have a choice. She was outnumbered and outmatched. So she went to the vacant seat by Xemnas. She purposely picked Xemnas over Ansem. In her opinion, Xemnas was the most pleasant of the Overlords, which wasn't saying much.

Diligently, Aqua watched the knights spar. For the first time, she noticed that only Vanitas, Terra, and Roxas were Keyblade Masters. The others used other forms of weaponry.

Adrenaline rushed through her magic suppressant filled veins and her palms sweated in anticipation. It had been way too long since she had practiced and truly wielded her Keyblade. Aqua didn't care that she had to spar with the knights. It was worth it to be able to sharpen her skills.

"Um…" the Light Keyblade wielder hesitantly spoke up and looked in Xehanort's direction. She had a question and she didn't really know whom else to ask… Ansem would just yell at her and Xemnas might not answer at all.

"Yes, child?" he said with deceiving amounts of kindness as he gazed down at her with toxic yellow-orange eyes.

"Terra, Roxas, and Vanitas are the only Keyblade Masters, right?" she asked in a low tone.

"Yes, they are the only ones other than myself," Aqua's heart plummeted into her gut. She had forgotten that he wielded a Keyblade. Eraqus had told her that several times but she had forgotten somehow. Perhaps she wanted to forget that Xehanort and Eraqus had the same Master and had practically been brothers…

"You're up, poppet," Xigbar announced with an amused grin.

"We know that you are a magic based wielder," Xemnas stated without looking at her, "but that is not an excuse. There will be times that magic cannot save you and you should not heavily rely on it. You need to be versatile even though magic is your strength."

"You will be observed as if you aren't magic based," Ansem finished, "However, we are feeling gracious _today_ and we have asked the knights to avoid magic use."

After their lecture, Aqua silently descended onto the practice field and braced herself for whatever the menaces could dish out.

First, she went up against Axel. The fiery knight was supposedly somewhat magic based as well so he only used his spiked chakrams. Aqua was not used to fighting an opponent like Axel but she managed. Once she caught onto his fighting style, she was able to maneuver around his attacks and keep up with him. The man with bright green eyes was fast and coordinated but he was not as strong as Terra. His attacks were not as intense or as overbearing but with weapons like his he didn't need to be.

The Light Keyblade wielder was forced to spar with each of the knights individually just as she had with Axel.

Aqua had a strategy as her opponents changed. She was very evasive and practiced defense as she figured out each of their unique fighting styles. After she had memorized their preferences she would then go on the offensive. She never won but she did manage to keep them on their toes until she yielded.

Vanitas and Roxas were the worst. It wasn't much of a spar with those two. Aqua was mainly trying to avoid getting injured (it didn't work but she tried). She didn't doubt for a second that Vanitas would intentionally harm or even kill her and play it off as an accident. It was an intense struggle to keep up with their uncanny skill and speed. Reluctantly, she had forfeited both spars after a few moments of experiencing their extreme advances.

They saved Terra for last even though she was too injured to properly continue…and they refused to heal her. However, she shouldn't have been surprised. Of course they would wait until she was utterly exhausted and lame to put her up against the leader of the Dark Knights.

The shirtless knight in his loose, beige training pants smirked as he encircled her like a hungry predator. He could likely smell her blood that was slowly seeping out of her pores and onto the terrain of the training field.

"You know, you can just forfeit now and no one would blame you," he taunted as the huge Keyblade appeared in his large hand.

Aqua didn't answer. They both knew no one would let her forfeit until he at least attempted to injure her further.

Baby blue eyes followed him attentively as he encircled her. They had the same strategy. Neither wanted to be the first to act. He wanted to feel her movements out just as she wanted to become familiar with his. The girl knew that Terra was not patient. The bronze knight would cave if his impatient manner got the best of him (and it would), so the ethereal girl simply waited for him to crack.

Eventually - just as she had anticipated -Terra did crack and began striking at her relentlessly. The brunette was using her injuries and her exhaustion against her. Aqua was impressed with how calculated he was even though he did not have to be. He could clearly rely on his inhumanly savage strength alone. However, Terra was not always the mindless brute she thought he was. He was actually pretty clever and shockingly meticulous when it came to his opponents. Terra would search for a weakness and he once found it he would exploit it.

As they sparred, she noticed there was something off about his attacks. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was holding back. Terra was putting forth just enough effort to win and he was purposely avoiding the nastier of her injuries. Aqua knew that he was capable of much more. She had been on the other end of his attacks before but the ones he demonstrated now were definitely subdued.

The oversized Keyblade struck the back of her leg as she attempted to dodge his most recent strike. She was getting tired and she had lost a lot of her speed and grace. A shrill cry escaped her lips and she fell to her hands and knees. The instant she collapsed a firm, heated hand harshly grasped the back of her neck.

"Yield," Aqua surrendered as Terra held her down on all fours.

The hand retracted and was then held out in front her. Instead of giving him her hand she slammed her bandaged wrist into his opened hand.

Terra chuckled. "Still hate touching me huh?"

"Yes," she replied between breaths.

"Did I hurt you?" He lifted her to her feet and inspected her.

"You're always hurting me. What difference does this time make?" Aqua snapped at his absurd concern. Since when did he care if she was in pain? Besides, he knew she was hurt. He could see the blood on her clothes, the burns, the bruises, the trickle of crimson fluid skittering down her jaw.

Her eyes fell to the ground. She didn't want to look at him…it was still something she vigorously tried to avoid but it was getting harder for her to not peer into his striking eyes. Aqua found herself succumbing to those midnight blue depths much more often than she cared to admit.

"That is enough for today, Terra. We have witnessed as much as necessary," Lord Xehanort waved his hands from them to leave.

They clearly wanted to discuss matters without her present. The Overlords wanted Terra to take her away.

"Let's head back," Terra whispered, holding her by her forearm and tugging her back toward the palace.

"Bye, Aqua," Roxas mumbled with a smile. "It was fun sparing with someone _else_ for a change," the dual Keyblade Master teased and punched Terra on the shoulder.

The older knight chortled and tossed Roxas' hair much to his displeasure.

"Do you think they will let me practice with you again?" Aqua inquired as she walked with Terra back to his quarters.

"Probably, but it will likely be a gradual thing. You have to earn their trust."

_That and they probably don't want me getting too strong,_ Aqua added privately.

She sighed. "It's better than nothing, I guess."

When they finally reached Terra's room, Aqua collapsed onto the sumptuous bed. She was sore and utterly spent and she was already looking forward to going to sleep. She grabbed the imitation peacekeeper's pillow and burrowed herself into it, taking a deep breath so she could pick up Terra's smell. His aroma was like anesthesia to her…probably because she associated the fragrance with sleep now.

"Put your Keyblade's charm back in the bedside table's top draw," Terra demanded sternly before vanished inside his bathroom.

With a frustrated sigh, Aqua sat upright on the bed and glanced over at the bedside table that usually had a padlock on its top drawer. She summoned her charm, crawled to the other side of the bed, and pulled the large drawer open.

What she saw inside made her stomach lurch and her breath hitch. Tears filled her eyes as she reached for the objects inside.

Kairi's good luck charm and her Keyblade's paopu fruit talisman were both inside the storage compartment lying innocently on top of other countless objects.

"Hey, if you're hungry, I thought we could go piss off the cook and steal some of the food that he has prepared for the Elders," Terra said as he rubbed the accumulated sweat off his neck and shoulders with a small gray towel. "Or if you want, we could go into town and…"

Aqua interrupted him by holding the helpless charms between her slender fingers so they dangled out in front of her.

"Where did you get these?"


	14. The Less You Know, the Better

* * *

_With bloodshot eyes I watch you sleeping_

_The warmth I feel beside me is slowly fading_

_Would she hear me if I called her name?_

_Would she hold me if she knew my shame?_

_There's always something different going wrong_

_The path I walk's in the wrong direction_

_There's always someone fucking hanging on_

_Can anybody help me make it better?_

_-Tears Don't Fall, Bullet for my Valentine_

* * *

"I took them," Terra confessed. He saw not point in lying to her.

Big, baby blue eyes observed at him as if he were a monster. They’re right to observe him in such a manner, but it still hurt.

"Why?" she asked, feral emotions swirling within her eyes.

Aqua couldn’t figure out why she was surprised by this ghastly discovery. Nothing Terra did should surprise her. Had she forgotten who he was? Why did she feel betrayed? It was absurd!

"Because I was told to." The Dark Keyblade Master shrugged.

That was just how things had always worked. He followed orders. The Court and the Overlords would tell him what to do and he would do it. No questions asked. It was what he was programmed to do.

"You know where my sister is!" Aqua screamed. She had lost control of her spiraling emotions. She was angry, hurt, and sad all at the same time.

"I never said that I didn't."

Terra's temper was virtually nonexistent lately—at least towards Aqua. It had vanished with the cruel realization that he loved her. His temper was still _very_ present with everyone else. He was sure it could easily resurface if she pushed him enough, but it definitely took a lot more for him to finally lash out at her.

"I have only said that I can’t tell you where she is," Terra added as Aqua tightly held the precious charms in her hands until their firm metal grinded fiercely into porcelain flesh. If she squeezed much tighter she would draw blood.

"Sora," she mumbled incoherently before closing her eyes, making her dark lashes brush her cheeks. She was desperately fighting the tears that threatened to flow down her face.

"What?" he inquired with an irritated shake of his head.

"Sora. Kairi gave this charm to Sora." Aqua spoke a bit louder, slowly opening her distant, burning eyes.

"And your point is?"  One of his dark brows rose to his forehead.

He _really_ didn't want to be having this conversation. The knight didn't want to fight and he didn't want her mad at him, _again._

"You know where Sora is, too."

"If you are talking about the annoying kid from Twilight Town, then yeah. I do.”

"Why did you take these?" she screeched and shook the charms at him.

"I already told you! I was ordered to!" the Dark Knight shouted. He wasn’t yelling out of anger. He yelled so she would take the hint that he didn't want to discuss it. It would be better if they didn't discuss it.

"That isn't the answer I want!"

"Fine! I took your sister's Keyblade before she was placed in the correctional facility! And I took the charm away from the kid when I went to the prison he was held in!"

He couldn't hold in in anymore. If she wanted to know so badly, he would tell her.

Aqua didn’t speak. Her vacant eyes went distant and she rushed out to the balcony, almost feeling as if she might get sick. She didn't want to hear anymore and she couldn’t stand being _near_ him.

"Is that what you want to hear, Aqua? Do you want to hear about the horrible things I have done?" The Dark Knight chased her out onto the patio.

Once he started talking about these things, he found that he couldn't stop. She had provoked him and now, he was going to make her listen.

Aqua sprinted away from him until the balcony's high, stony railing halted her advance. The rock railing was cold from the chill in the autumn air, but it did not hurt her when she touched it. It should, but it didn’t.

"Do you want to know how I took that charm from the boy because I wanted to break him? It meant a lot to him. It was written all over his stupid face, so I took it from him to fuck with him. We needed his spirit broken, so I helped break it," the knight divulged as he watched her grip the objects in one hand and claw the railing's surface with the other.

Truthfully, he was ashamed. Aqua brought forth dormant emotions in him that he had forgotten a long time ago. Terra was actually ashamed of his actions for the first time in ages. He didn't want her to think badly of him although he knew it was much too late for that…

Perhaps the guilt was what made him confess things that he would normally never speak of again. Terra usually left the past in the past. It didn't matter anyway, right?

"If you want all the gory details of all the horrible shit I have done in my twenty-one years, we can go on forever! But I have a feeling you don't want to know all that. I knew that you didn't want to hear about me getting those fucking charms either but _no!"_ Terra spat, throwing his bulging arms into the air in complete vexation. "You just _had_ to know! I knew you didn't want to hear it before you did! I tried to spare you!"

"Where is my sister?"

Again, she didn’t look at him. Instead her eyes watched the thriving, prosperous city below her. The children laughed and ran through the sectors that were dimly lit by towering street lamps. Couples held hands and whispered sweet nothings to one another. These otherwise touching scenes did nothing but anger her further.

Kairi should have a life like that. Sora should have a life like that. _All_ Children of Light deserved the same freedoms and carefree lifestyles as the people inside the Dark Realm. It was not fair! While Sora and Kairi rotted in some prison, these people lived normal happy lives. While Aqua was corrupted and remolded from the inside out, they laughed, played in the sun, and frolicked in noxious flowerbeds. It made her ill.

Ice accumulated on the already cold surface of the thick, hand crafted stone railing. It should hurt. It should cause her extreme amounts of agony and discomfort but it didn't. The physical agony was nothing compared to the misery brewing inside of her.

She fought the suppressant in her veins and casted frost from her hands. Her heightened emotions allowed her to… Her rage numbed any pain she would normally feel. Aqua's inner Blizzard was going wild at thought of Terra harming Sora and her sister. The fury grew and demanded retribution as she watched the Dark Followers below her, as she thought of the overwhelming injustice of _everything_ around her.

"I am not telling you," Terra said harshly, dark eyes boring holes into her rigid back.

Aqua was the manifestation of frozen resentment. Everything about her body language screamed discontentment, bitterness, and displeasure. Terra felt his temperature drop just from looking at her.

"Why not?" she pleaded.

The Child of Light swiftly spun around to face the knight. Her eyes filled with clear fluid and a tear traveled down her cheek as she tried to blink away the anger and pain.

_You have to let go of this blossoming fury, Aqua. Remember, that is what they want. They want you to give into it, to rely on it. The Overlords want you to succumb to anger and hatred because it will lead you astray. It will summon the Darkness. It will allow them to use you,_ a voice much like Master Eraqus's kindly reminded her.

"Because, I guess I _am_ the monster you always make me out to be." Terra tried to repress the pain that surfaced inside his chest as the words fell from his tense lips.

He failed. What was meant to be an emotionless statement, turned into a whiney complaint. Terra wanted to punch himself in the face for allowing his inner conflict to get the better of him.

The Dark Knight knew it was true and that was why it hurt. He was a savage, a brute, a demon…a monster. Terra was all those things combined and she hated him along with all that he had done. Aqua thought he was a monster. She could tolerate the torture he dealt her daily. The girl he loved might even forgive him for all he had done to her, but he doubted she would _ever_ forgive him for hurting those she loved.

"I've never called you a monster," Aqua said mildly as she began to repress the twisting, dark feelings that threatened to manifest within her pure heart.

Terra walked to one of the corners of the railing and turned his back on her.

"You didn't have to.” The bronze knight held his head down and grabbed large fistfuls of his dark brown hair.

_It’s written all over your face. You don't have to say it. You… You're too nice to say it… In spite of everything…your kindness…your light…won't allow you to condemn me.._.

The Child of Light glided over to him, standing silently behind him and watching him with skeptical eyes.

Her anger had melted away. She could never hold onto her rage and anger for long. It was against her nature. Master Eraqus had always thought her to resist emotions that would beckon the Darkness…but she could tell she was slowly losing the fight… The Overlords, the Elders, and their lessons were gradually breaking her resolve… Months ago, she would have _never_ relied on rage and loathing to fuel her powers…

"Terra…” Aqua tried to reach the tiny flickering light that lived within the deep sea of blackness inside of him.

Yes, Terra was a monster, but for some foolish reason, she couldn’t bring herself to give up on that light she had seen only a few times. It was the Light that convinced her that he wasn't hopeless. Terra might be a monster, but he wasn't irremediable…not yet...

Tentative fingers reached out for him and with immense amounts of uncertainty, Aqua placed her hand on his bicep. "Please."

"Look," Terra uttered softly, but he didn’t turn to face her. "I haven't seen your sister since I started watching you. But the last time I saw her, she was okay."

It was not a _complete_ lie. Kairi _was_ okay the last time he had seen her, but he _seriously_ doubted she was okay now.

"Even spunky was okay." He added yet another, almost lie. "They are just imprisoned."

Silence.

"Alright? That is all you're getting out of me!" Terra spun around rapidly and scowled at her.

Like a frightened animal, Aqua's hand retracted.

Roughly, he wiped his mouth as if acidic bile had surged from his lips with the blasphemous, traitorous words he had reluctantly uttered.

"Are you hungry?" The knight ran an exasperated hand down his face, leaning against the stone railing that surrounded the balcony. The question was completely out of place and he knew it but he couldn’t stand the Light-damn silence. He wanted the tension to leave and he _really_ wanted to change the subject.

"I…I guess..." Aqua gently laced her elegant fingers in front of her.

She was actually starving, but she didn't want to tell Terra that. Even if she weren't hungry, she would still want him to go get some food so she wouldn't have to be around him or look at him anymore. Aqua wasn't angry anymore, but she was definitely sad and hurt. She didn't want _anything_ to do with her ‘ _guardian_.’

"I'll go get us some food. What do you want?" he asked, his voice still quivering with irritation and disgruntlement. Terra had to get out of this Light forsaken room so he could get a hold of himself.

"I don't care." Aqua took her perch on the stone fencing that encased the patio.

The Light Keyblade bearer started to ask if he was leaving her alone, but he had already stormed out of the room.

Clumsily, she jumped from her roost and scurried to the door to see if he had left it unlocked. Shaking hands grabbed the doorknob of pure gold and turned it.

The door _was_ unlocked.

Aqua made a quick mental note that he didn’t always lock the door when he exited. The knowledge might be useful later.

_"Terra's orders. He wants extra guards to patrol this hallway as well as the area below his balcony.”_

"Ugh!" Aqua cried in frustration and forcefully slammed the slightly cracked door shut, ramming her back against the ruby wood of the door once it was shut.

Why did he always have to think of everything?! Why couldn't he be stupid or careless?! Why did he always have to read her mind?! Why did he always have to be one step ahead of her?!

* * *

On his heated journey to the palace’s kitchen, Terra realized that being away from _her_ wasn't necessarily making his life any easier. She still filled his thoughts and he still felt guilty, ashamed, and most of all, angry. However, his anger wasn’t directed at her, it was directed at himself.

Every time Terra made some form of progress with Aqua, every time he thought she might hate him a _little_ less, something would always happen to ruin it all. He was right back where he started. Fuck, he might even be _farther_ back than where he started. No, he wasn't back to where he started, but, Light-dammit, he was close.

It was lunacy to think that he could convince her that he wasn't horrible. It was idiotic for him to think that one day, she might not hate him. It was moronic to think that they could be anything other than enemies. The feelings Terra possessed for the Child of Light were doomed before they ever truly existed.

_"Terra!"_

With a deep inhale followed by a violent exhale he turned to face the voice. "Hi, Axel."

"Jeez, you look terrible," said Axel once he caught up with his fellow knight.

A brown brow rose. Terra hadn't even bothered to look at a mirror lately, so he had no way of knowing how he bad looked. Suddenly, his appearance didn't matter that much anymore. Honestly, it never really mattered that much to begin with.

"Thanks," Terra replied coldly, glaring at the vermillion carpet under his feet.

"What is your deal lately?" The redheaded knight began inspecting his foster-brother. "You are never around anymore and when you are around, you are quiet and distant. Not to mention you look like you haven't slept in ages."

"You know what my deal is! It's… _her_!" Terra angrily pointed in the direction of his bedroom. "I’m not around because I’m always having to deal with _her_! I’m quiet and distant because I’m pretty sure I’m going mad! And I look like haven't slept in ages because I _haven't_ sleep in ages!"

"I thought you said she was a better bed partner now. You said you two had better sleeping habits." Axel nervously scratched the back of his fiery head.

"We have but…but…" The bronze knight couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him the real reason he wasn't sleeping. Terra couldn't tell anyone that… Not even Axel. It would be the ultimate disgrace to admit that he loved her.

"But?" the other knight probed, leaning further in.

"Nothing. " Terra turned and continued to brisk trek to the kitchen.

"Obviously, this obviously isn't _'nothing_ '. Terra, I hardly recognize you…"

"…Axel, I barely recognize myself anymore."

"You can trust me. Whatever it is you can--"

"No! I can't tell you," Terra snapped and held a hand up to silence Axel. "Because if I tell you, you will tell Roxas. Then Roxas will tell Demyx by accident because Roxas can't keep his hole shut and then Demyx will tell _everyone_."

The bronze knight knew he was being harsh but that was how things worked. If Terra confided in Axel, or anyone for that matter (but especially Axel), everyone would know about it by day's end. Terra trusted Axel but Axel did have a bit of a big mouth.

"Look, I’m just worried about you. Being cooped up here all the time would drive anyone crazy," Axel said as his index finger scratched his temple.

_So that is what they think. They think I am getting cabin fever in here? Ha! I wish._

"I mean, you went from traveling the world and being the biggest, baddest knight around to staying in Hollow Bastion everyday to babysit a Child of Light. Honestly I don't know how you do it. I think I would set myself on fire.”

"It hasn't been easy… Speaking of Blue, want to come with me to get her some food?"

Terra still couldn't call her by her first name around anyone else. Such conduct would surely raise suspicion. No one needed to know he was on a first name basis with the rehabilitation subject.

"Is that why you are out here?" Axel looked around. "Wait!" he quickly added with a jump. "You left her alone?"

"Shut your mouth!" Terra hissed as he held Axel's big trap shut. "I left guards with her. Trust me, she isn't going anywhere."

"How can you be so sure? You said yourself that she wasn't just spirited, that she is smart, too.”

"Exactly and if she is smart, she will know that she can't get out of here. The sense of hopelessness has finally set in and she knows what will happen if she tries anything. It has been drilled into her so much she has to believe it. I've watched her accept it."

"If you say so.” Axel shrugged a shoulder.

Once the knights entered the kitchen, Terra realized he didn't even really know what Aqua liked to eat… He had a vague idea, but he was still a bit unsure. From their time together, he noticed she had a preference for fruit and lean meats. She didn't really care for vegetables or wine and she liked to drink water.

The palace kitchen had way too many options and Terra was feeling a bit overwhelmed. It occurred to him that he didn't technically have to choose. He could simply take her a bit of everything and let her pick out what she wanted. Then he could watch figure out what she liked so that next time he got her food, he would be sure.

“Can I help you, Master Terra?” a fair-skinned girl with long, sleek jet-black hair inquired.

“Uh, yeah. I need some food taken to my room. I will be dining in private tonight,” Terra said while inspecting the kitchen for foods Aqua might eat.

The servant girl nodded. “What would you like sent to your room?”

“A pitcher of water for starters.” Terra knew for a fact Aqua would want water. 

What remained of the kitchen staff still working at that unholy hour began wandering around the kitchen, attempting to meet Terra’s needs. They flew through cabinets and baskets as Terra began naming off fruits he had seen Aqua eat in the past and even named other types of fruit in case she was in the mood for diversity.

"Is there any turkey meat or some form of chicken in here?" The bronze knight asked as he began sifting through the massive spread the cook had created for the Elders' dinner later in the night. There was so much food on the massive table in the center of the enormous kitchen Terra was sure they wouldn't notice the little he was going to steal for Aqua was missing. Besides, even if they did, the culinary staff wouldn’t deny his request. They feared him too much. Only the cook was bold enough to swat his hands away and he wasn’t here so Terra was helping himself.

"No, but they have ribs!" Axel called excitedly before he began to devour a rib he had ripped off the practically intact pig carcass.

"Hey, while you guys are at it, send a rack of these ribs to my room, too," the red head mumbled through a mouth full of tender meat, bits of rib flying out of his mouth as he spoke. "I’m glad I decided to come with you. This trip is already worth it!"

The other half of the kitchen staff that wasn’t helping Terra find food that would be pleasing for Aqua did as demanded and began hastily preparing a tray of ribs to be taken to the other Dark Knight’s room.

"Will _ice princess_ want some ribs?" Axel asked playfully as he shook the meat at Terra.

"No, she doesn't like that kind of meat," Terra replied vacantly while he continuing to ravage the cabinets with the servants. "She actually doesn't care for meat much at all."

Axel reeled.

In the sixteen or so years that Axel had known Terra, he had _never_ seen him so contemplative over a girl's needs. In fact, he had never seen him so concerned about a girl _at all_ …

"Are you sure there isn't something you need to tell me?" the fiery knight crossed his arms over his chest.

"No. Why?" Terra asked as he closely inspected the tray of food the servants had put together thus far.

"Oh, nothing. I have just been noticing a pattern," Axel said dismissively. "Are you even getting food for yourself?"

"No. I will probably just eat her leftovers," the bronze knight answered although his mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Terra, you don't even really like fruit," Axel added but Terra didn't answer, he was too wrapped up in finding food that he could use as a peace offering for the Child of Light.

"So, you are putting her needs ahead of your own?" he spoke a little louder in an attempt to grab his friend's elusive attention.

At the Fall Banquet, Terra had casually said that Aqua always looked nice, but Axel just dismissed it. He thought that he was only saying that because he was a bit drunk. However, Terra was clearly very sober now and the bizarre behavior toward the Child of Light was continuing. There was way too much smoke for there not to be a fire...

Terra placed his hands on the counter, his suspicious brow raised. "What are you driving at, Axel?"

"Nothing.” Axel shook his head. “Let’s just get out of here before the cook catches us ordering his staff around and starts chunking his knives at us like he did last time."

* * *

As expected, Aqua was exactly where he left her. She sat on top of the oversized, stone railing with her hands held in her lap and her head turned toward the infinite horizon that was blackened by the dead of night.

He didn't dare go out to confront her until the servants brought the food. He wasn't about to go out there until he had some form of peace offering. So, to avoid yet another argument, he merely waited on his bed until the servants arrived with the freshly prepared food.  

“Just put it on the bed side table,” Terra instructed flatly, pointing to the table in question. 

Nodding, the servant girl did as instructed.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Master Terra?” she inquired politely once she sat the tray down. 

“No. I think this’ll cover it.” 

The young woman nodded again and bowed her head before leaving the room. Once Terra was sure she was gone, he took the tray off the table and walked out onto the balcony.

"Truce?" He extended the tray of food toward the quiet girl.

Bright, cobalt eyes that glowed in the blackness peered over at him for a long-suffering moment, eyeing both him and the offering cynically.

Releasing a melancholy sigh, she said, "Truce.”

Aqua didn't want a truce, but she didn't really want to fight anymore either, so if Terra wanted a truce, she would give him one.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted so I had them bring a bit of everything. You can even eat out here if you want."

"Oh. Thanks," the blue girl replied softly as she jumped off the ledge and reached for the tray. "You haven't chopped up some innocent kids to feed me have you?"

"Don't be mean." Terra yanked the tray away from her hands.

"Fine." Aqua snatched the tray from him and began examining its contents.

Sourly, she sat down on the patio, placed the tray on the ground in front of her, and took a sip water.

"I assumed you would want water. Personally I wanted whiskey, but I couldn't find any. The cook likes to drink almost as much as I do."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Aqua asked coldly and examined a small bowel of raspberries.

"Maybe," the shirtless knight hissed before he crossing his arms in irritation.

After his several failed attempts to melt her icy resentment, Terra didn't try to talk to her anymore. From experience he knew she would warm up to him when she was ready to. As a result, he just watched her eat while he stoically sat across from her.

The knight found that he was content just watching her do the simplest things, like eating and sleeping. He liked watching her eat just as he liked to watch her sleep. Terra watched her closely and observed which foods she had a preference for. Ironically enough, Aqua didn't like the blueberries, but she did frequently gravitate toward the raspberries.

The Keyblade wielder ate some salmon, raspberries, a few bites of rice, a little bread, and a tiny piece of chopped mango before finally picking at an apple.

"I can't finish it." The Child of Light held the apple out to him, the excess apple juice dribbling off her tempting lips.

Terra didn't want the fucking apple, but damn, did he want to lick every single drop of that juice off those flawless, pink lips…

Once he stopped staring at her supple, juice-covered lips, he decided to take the apple anyway. It was the first form of communication she had offered and he wasn't about to turn it down.

When he reached for the apple, their fingertips touched and Aqua quickly looked in the opposite direction. The contact lasted, but a moment before Terra swiftly severed the connection.

Aqua watched Terra's large mouth open, and take a massive bite out of the apple's crimson flesh. His bite was much bigger and was much more brutal than her daintier bites. One of the Dark Knight's bites made up almost three of hers. The instant she saw the juicy apple's fluids flow out of the fruit and down his strong chin, she remembered she still needed to wipe her mouth.

"Earlier you said you could talk about the horrible things you have done forever." The Light Keyblade wielder elegantly wiped her mouth.

"Mm hmm." The young man continued to casually consume the apple.

He was handsome. She had to admit it as much as she hated to. His tanned skin reflected the pale moonlight in unusually appealing ways while his navy eyes almost vanished within the night's lingering gloom. Terra's chocolate-colored tresses framed his strong yet sincere face perfectly as his jaw moved and ground the apple inside his mouth. The knight's dark features were as attractive as they were malevolent.

"Do you regret any of it?" Aqua asked, her nerves coiling and heartbeat quickening.

Terra had to think about it. He thought of the time he had engulfed an elderly man's beard in Dark Fire until the hair was singed off his charred chin. He thought of the time he had held a man's face in his hands and casted Dark Fire until the man's face morphed into an unrecognizable mask with lopsided eyes. His lips had melted away, giving the man a permanent toothy grin. His mind even recalled the countless times he had effortlessly popped peoples' skulls like balloons between in his bare hands, the times he had smashed heads with his metal feet like others would smash pumpkins or watermelons for fun.

"Dark Knights don't regret anything," he answered, his eyes detaching as his mind continued to filter through the countless wretched deeds he had committed.

"Your eyes say different," Aqua replied confidently. She could see his eyes swimming with turmoil and contemplation as they lost focus on the physical world.

The Dark Knight hated how she had gained the ability to see right through him. It was one of her many talents, but the regret she thought she saw was not for the man with the beard, the man with the deformed face, or the endless hordes of Terra's other victims… It was for her. The regret was for her and her innocent wrists… If he regretted _anything_ , it would be the things he had done to her.

"Can we talk about something else?" Terra took another savage bite out of the harmless apple.

"Sure," the Child of Light replied with a gentle nod although she wanted to pry a bit more, but she could tell he was on the verge of yelling at her again. She decided to pick her battles…

"You did good at practice today.”

Aqua grinned. "You held back."

Terra started to choke on his last bite of apple. A tightly clenched fist pounded his chiseled sternum to dislodge it, causing Aqua to giggle into her dainty hands.

"I did not." He coughed roughly.

"Did too!"

"Maybe I did. So what?" the knight rasped before he collapsed onto his back to avoid the pending conversation.

"So…I don't think you are as bad as you pretend to be." Aqua crawled to his side and looked down at him.

"Oh, yeah?" Terra glared at her. "What do you know? You're just a stupid Child of Light.".

"You mistake kindness for weakness.”

Terra didn't utter a word. He only held his mouth in a tight line while he glared daggers at the innocent sparkling stars in the blackened abyss of the night sky.

"You do." Aqua placed her feathery fingertips on his clenched jaw and tilted his head toward her. "Don't you?"

It was a valid argument. Terra would give her that, but he wasn't about to listen to such nonsense so he just scowled at her.

"You all do." Aqua sighed before her fingertips retreated and she cursed herself for the slight void she felt when her skin left his. Her body frequently betrayed her when it came to Terra. Perhaps that was part of the reason she hated touching him so much. Maybe she was terrified that she might like it….

_No! Aqua, don't be stupid! Just because he is good-looking doesn't mean that you would automatically like touching him. That is ridiculous…_ she thought as she too lied on her back and watched the shimmering sea of stars above them.

They didn't go to bed. Instead, they continued to have lengthy conversations about nothing for hours.

"You love raspberries," Terra divulged, the black sky was turning orange as the sun gradually began to rise in the distance.

"They are okay," Aqua replied indifferently as she glanced over at the man who lied on the balcony flooring beside her, his powerful arms folded behind his head.

"Then why did you eat so many?" The knight questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Kairi smells like raspberries," she said with a yawn. "They reminded me of her… So I ate more of them…"

That statement almost forced an apology out of Terra's unwavering throat. Maybe he did regret things… Maybe Aqua was right…

The Dark Knight rolled onto his side, propped his head up with his hand, and looked down at the blue Keyblade bearer. She was about to fall asleep. He assumed it was almost five or six in the morning by now.

_She needs to get some sleep before I have to take her to Xaldin…or is it Xigbar…or… Oh, fuck it…_ he thought as he tenderly scooped the dozing girl into his arms.

Aqua grumbled and shifted a little before she fell back into the clutches of slumber against his chest. It didn't matter how many times he picked her up or if she was awake or asleep, she always gravitated toward the natural heat that radiated off his tanned flesh. She always gravitated to _him._

_He is always so warm..._

"Terra," she muttered deliriously against his chest and inhaled deeply. "You… You smell like cinnamon…"

Terra scoffed.

"Cinnamon, huh?" he answered her even though he knew she would have no recollection of his conversation.

"Mm hmm and…and h-honey," Aqua continued to prattle on irrationally while Terra pulled back the covers of his bed and gently laid her inside of them.

"It… It’s weird…but…but I-I kind of like it.” She melded into his bed and Dark Knight swaddled her securely underneath the mounds of blankets.

During the time he spent watching her drift off into a more permanent sleep, his mind began to stray. He knelt by her side of the bed, folded his arms, and rested his head on the folded appendages.

Silently, he watched her sleep. It absolutely astounded him that this trivial young woman had such an impact on him by doing so little.

Terra had been with many women, but nothing could compare to the intimacy he felt by simply sleeping next to Aqua. All those nights with other women put together could not match the amount intimacy he felt with just one night of Aqua sleeping peacefully on his chest…

The knight couldn't live like this anymore. He needed to get her out of his room _and_ his bed before he did something he would regret.

* * *

Jidoor was definitely a nicer town than Karnak, but the citizens of Jidoor weren’t nearly as friendly or as helpful.

Unlike Karnak, Jidoor actually had cobblestone streets and nice buildings, _very_ nice buildings.

Jidoor was a rich town full of aristocrats, peddlers, and wealthy, arrogant citizens. Jidoor's money and connections had saved it from occupation and martial law. The town was able to live inside the Dark Realm but held the rights of a town located further south, away from the Dark Realm and Hollow Bastion.

Because Jidoor was unoccupied but still resided within the Dark Realm, Riku had suggested they start their first, but he was starting to regret the decision to do so.

"Take that _beast_ to the stables!" A man with lengthy, luscious blonde hair dressed in long, expensive sepia robes pointed harshly at Snow.

"Poor Snow…" Naminé hugged the white chocobo's long neck. "He never gets to go anywhere."

"Snow gets to go _everywhere_. He just can't go inside the towns," Ventus stated as he helped Naminé off the oversized bird's back.

"It’s not fair," the blonde girl said, brushing Snow's feathers as she spoke. "He helps us and we always end up putting him in stables or leaving him in the woods."

"I think he’ll forgive us." Riku grabbed the unique chocobo's reigns and led him to the town's overpriced stables.

Naminé and Xion had wanted to bring three more chocobos from their home as well, but Riku quickly nixed the idea. Although they would be able to travel faster, chocobo's could draw unwanted attention, not to mention they were munny guzzlers. It cost munny to feed them and keep them in stables.

However, Snow was an exception. Snow was a feral chocobo that Aqua had tamed herself on one of her many journeys to other provinces and towns. Since Snow was not the typical domesticated, yellow chocobo, he did not require the vast amounts of feed or gysahl greens domesticated chocobo's needed to survive. The white chocobo with blue tipped feathers could easily live off the land and didn't always have to stay in the stables to avoid getting eaten or stolen. Truth be told, Snow was not too friendly when it came to strangers. The oversized bird might appear tame, but he still had feral roots and could easily still be considered dangerous. Riku had learned that the hard way when he tried to leave Amur with the stubborn bird.

"Two hundred and fifty munny for the chocobo to stay in the stables," an elderly man with a jagged beard and sandy blonde hair said before he spat into a nearby pot.

"Gross…" Xion cringed and Naminé giggled.

"Fuck it. I'm taking him to the woods," Riku groused as he hauled the massive chocobo outside. "I mean… Screw it," he quickly added when he realized he had dropped the ‘f’ bomb in front of the girls, _again_.

"Too late now," Ventus said with a head shake before following Riku out of the extravagant stables.

"I told you guys taking this bird would be a pain in the… _butt_ ," Riku stuttered, struggling not to curse again.

"Snow wasn't going to stay in the stables with the others. You know he was refusing to stay in the Land of Departure without Aqua," Xion stated softly, running her fingers through Snow's thick feathers.

"You aren't suggesting that this bird actually understands that we are looking for Aqua?" Riku questioned doubtfully before eyeing the gigantic chocobo.

"That's exactly what I am suggesting.”

Xion had the upmost faith in every living creature and she was sure Snow understood that Aqua was gone and probably didn't want to be left alone. Since Snow was not domesticated from birth, he had unusual tendencies but that didn't make the bird stupid.

"Oh, well, the details don't matter. I'll take him to the woods. You guys keep searching for leads," Riku instructed before he vanished into the thick, morbid forest that surrounded Jidoor.

For a town located within the Dark Realm, Jidoor was surprisingly vibrant, eerily clean, and down right spotless. Pink flowerbeds and bright green grass lined the streets while sporadic, rounded shrubs were placed throughout the thriving town.

Like most towns, Jidoor's architecture was brown while the roofs were peacock blue. Petite flower arrangements were placed in almost all the store windows and small trees offered shade to the sizable structures. The buildings were not the largest the party had seen but hey were the most intricate and the most expensive looking.

Jidoor was not an enormous town, but it was spread out with many different levels. Chocolate-colored stairways led to other sectors with even more stores and homes. The elaborate town even had an auction house where its residents could spend their wealth on a wide range of priceless and rare objects. This kind of lifestyle was completely new to the Children of Light. They had never encountered people with this amount of wealth or arrogance before, which made them assume that they were characteristics native to the Dark Realm.

"I feel…out of place," Naminé admitted as they ascended one of the many enormous stairwells that led to the next level within the suburb.

"Me too, so let's try to get our lead so we can get out of here," Ventus suggested as he approached another citizen of Jidoor.

Xion was staring to think that they wouldn't find a lead in this opulent town. No one wanted to talk to them and the ones that did, were only interested in where they were from and why they were there. They had absolutely no desire to help and they didn’t have the munny to give them the desire to help…

"These people drive me crazy," Riku grumbled under his breath when he reached the other members of his party. "I apologize for suggesting we come here."

"It’s okay," Naminé said with a dazzling smile. "You were just doing what you thought was best. The people are not friendly but at least there aren't any Dark Knights or guards roaming around here."

"The old broad over there didn't know anything either. That or she just didn't want to tell me…I am not sure which…" Ventus scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Hey, hey, hey!" A skinny man with a monocle and neatly trimmed beard called as he advanced toward the out-of-place quartet.

The man had chestnut colored hair with neat braids running through the sides of his thick hair that had been tidily brushed back out of his face. He wore an unusual navy blue tuxedo with a white bow tie and ruby rose in his left tuxedo pocket.

"Hi. How ya doin’? The name’s Rosco. Word on the street is that you kids are looking for information," the fancy peddler he rubbed his thin beard with his hands that were adorned in blindingly white gloves.

"Yes?" Ventus was not sure how to take this…abrasive man.

"Then you should have come to me first!" Rosco declared, placing his hands on his puffed chest. "I am the man with connections in Jidoor."

"Alright. We are looking for someone," Riku had decided he wanted to test the arrogant peddlers so-called knowledge. "A few months ago a few Dark--"

"I know nothing about anything that happened months ago. That is old news." Rosco waved his hand dismissively, "However, the present is a completely different matter."

"I'm listening," Riku said flatly from within his hood.

"Some rumors are running around about a certain Dark Knight." The peddler attempted to bait the party.

"I am not asking you for gossip," the silver-haired young man said, bored.

"Our friend was taken by some Dark Knights a couple of months ago. We are trying to figure out where they took her." Ven tried again to get some form of cooperation from the hawker.

"I will tell you the most recent news concerning Dark Knights…for a fee," Rosco rubbed his fingers together, causing the fabric of his gloves to make rough, scratchy sounds.

"How much?" Riku crossed his arms. He was getting more and more annoyed.

Xion and Naminé watched silently while Riku and Ventus…haggled with the…haggler.

"One thousand munny," Rosco stated and Riku laughed, _hard._

"For that kind of munny, you better be telling me exactly what I want to hear," the Dark Keyblade Master jeered and Ventus rolled his eyes.

"You will never know if you don't pay me." Rosco removed his monocle, breathed on the lens, and placed the object back over his eye.

"I don't know, you guys," Naminé spoke up. "He never said it was about an abductee. He just said it was about Dark Knights."

"Can you tell us which Dark Knight the information is about?" Xion inquired.

"Why the Captain of the Dark Knight, of course!" the man spoke loudly and proudly as if he was speaking to the masses. "Master Terra."

The party exchanged glances.

"What do you think, Riku?" asked Ven, his eyes glued on Riku. "You said Terra was the one who ran after her."

"I don't think we have much choice. This is the only guy who has offered us any form of aid," Riku relented with a shrug. "Xion, give the man the munny."

"Yes! Good! Good! Good!" Rosco exclaimed as Xion emptied one thousand munny out of her pouch and into his greedy hands.

"Well, rumor has it that Master Terra has been replaced." The hawker rubbed the munny between his wolfish fingers. "The young captain has not conducted a Purge in months. Vanitas has taken over."

"Some have even suggested that Terra might be planning to retire, or maybe he got seriously injured. I have even heard that he deserted. The guy might even be dead. The man hasn't been seen for months," he continued.

"Riku, it sounds like he hasn't done much since Amur," Xion said.

"Yeah, but this information is still worthless, interesting, but worthless," Riku replied, shaking his head and placing his fists on his hips.

"Oh, well. Perhaps the information may aid you later. Or…” Rosco drawled. “Maybe for another one thousand munny I can tell you another rumor circling around the Dark Capital.”

While Riku and Ven began haggling with the strange man again, Naminé heard faint whispers coming from the woods.

"Xion," the girl with golden hair whispered and tugged at her sister's hoodie. "Do you hear that?"

Xion listened for a moment and didn’t hear a thing but Naminé clearly did. The younger girl blazed into the woods with Xion hot on her heels.

"Naminé! Stop! We don't know who or what is back there!" the raven-haired Keyblade wielder hissed as she followed her sister into the tiny wooded area within the suburb.

Naminé gasped when she saw the elderly woman hiding behind one of the several compact trees. The woman had gray hair and her eyes were so white the sockets themselves seemed hollow. She wore billowing robes of crimson and a hood lined with silver over her gray head. Her lips were cloaked in green lipstick and her back was severely hunched. What appeared to be a crystal eye was tightly clutched in one of her withered hands and a crooked wooden cane to support her unbalanced frame was in the other.

"Do not listen to the peddler. He can offer you pieces of a puzzle, but he cannot give you enough to make an actual picture. If you want to find your friend, you should go to ZoZo."

"ZoZo?" Naminé asked curiously.

Xion was in shock. She didn’t see a thing but her sister did. Not only did she see someone, she heard them too. She was talking to them and was not afraid in any way…

"It is a city north of here. Go there and see the seeress," the elderly woman said hoarsely from inky, rotting teeth.

“A seeress?” Naminé squeaked.

"She is an ex-seeress," the gray haired woman wheezed and Naminé was sure she might cough up blood. "She used to live in the capital. Served the Overlords…"

The more the woman talked the more Namine's fascination grew and the more concerned and confused Xion became.

"See the seeress. She can help," the morbid gently held Naminé's fragile hand and patted it. "Go to ZoZo and ask for Mona. Tell her Matoya sent you."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Ven roughly rubbed his temples in contemplation. "An old woman saw with white eyes and black teeth told you we should go to ZoZo and talk to a former seeress."

"I know it sounds crazy, but that is what she said," Naminé said with pleading eyes as the quartet entered their room at the inn.

"We are not about to go to ZoZo," Riku stated, shaking his head and removing his blindfold upon entering the privacy of the room. "That place is hell on earth."

Riku had never been to ZoZo and there was a damn good reason for that. It was a deplorable place even by the Dark Realms standards.

"It’s full of rapists and thugs," he continued. "It would be suicide to go there."

"But it is the only lead we have," the raven-haired young woman said as she sat on one of the four twin beds within the inn's accommodations. No, she didn’t see this woman and she should think her younger sister was crazy, but for some reason, she didn’t. She trusted Naminé… Something clearly bigger than her was telling her that there was something to what her sister saw. She even agreed to not tell Ven and Riku that only Naminé saw the woman in red.

"Look, I figured we would have to go into the Dark Realm eventually, but I never considered going to ZoZo," Riku explained while Naminé took a seat at the small table in the left corner of the room and opened her sketchpad. "I had actually planned on avoiding that place like plague. People in the Dark Realm even avoid that place! People don't live there! Only outcasts, thieves, and Darkness knows what else live there."

Xion listened but silently watched Naminé draw a picture of what appeared to be Aqua.

"We don't really have much choice." Ven plopped onto a bed and held his arm over his electric blue eyes, the sound of Namine's scribbling invading his ears.

"Give me one good reason why we should go into the bowels of hell to talk to some demonic seer who may or may not exist!" Riku protested as he paced around the room.

It was obvious that the Dark Keyblade Master had absolutely no desire to go to this place. The siblings knew if Riku was apprehensive, the place had to be unpleasant to say the least.

"Have you ever been there?" Xion asked but her eyes didn’t leave Naminé's unusual drawing. Naminé had drawn a replica of Aqua and now that she was done, she had begun digging her pencil into the surface of the paper in bizarre ways.

"No. No one goes there," Riku replied as Naminé's scrapping grew louder and began filling the room. The uncanny sounds bounced off the gray stone floors and the creamy brick walls.

Naminé’s eyes had glazed over and she was no longer drawing. She was thrusting the point of the pencil into the vulnerable surface of the paper. The charcoal raked in peculiar circles while it gradually began blackening the entire sketch.

"I think we should go," Xion stated, surprising herself as the sound abnormal grazing of paper only intensified.

"I was afraid of that," Riku mumbled as he took a seat beside the black-haired girl. "I guess it is worth a shot. If this seeress does exist, she can probably help us and even if she doesn't, maybe we can get some help in ZoZo anyway. If we don't die first..."

"Don't say stuff like that!" Xion scolded and lightly hit the back of Riku's head.

"It's true! That place is as dangerous as it gets! I'm not afraid to hurting your feelings! The only place worse than ZoZo is Hollow Bastion! We _would_ die if we went there!" Riku wasn't trying to be mean, he just wanted to keep his friends safe...but it was getting harder and harder to do that.

Hopelessness. Hopelessness was setting in and it had all of them on edge. They were trekking further and further into enemy territory every day. Each day was a gamble. They played with death and tempted disaster daily and it was starting to take its toll. Their nerves were fried and emotions ran high. Strong personalities were starting to clash as perpetual despair started to weigh each of them down.

"I'm sorry." Riku rested his elbows on his knees and held his head down. "I just want us to be prepared for the worst. I know we have to find Aqua, but I don't want any of you to get hurt either. I'm tired and stressed out and just…overwhelmed in general."

"We all are," Ven stated, rising up to stare at his younger sister as she fiercely mutilated her sketchpad with thick gashes of black.

"Naminé, enough. I can't stand that noise anymore," he pleaded as he held his aching head in his hands.

Naminé didn’t stop. If anything, the eerie scratching intensified as did her jerky movements.

Ven's eyebrows creased. His youngest sister didn’t draw like that. Naminé’s utensils always silently glided over her paper. She never abused her sketchpad with such brutality.

"Naminé," Xion tried to call over the infernal chafing. Again, the unearthly noises only intensified. "Naminé!"

Naminé’s eyes were faraway and glassy while her body jerked in inhuman ways, causing the engraving to delve deeper into the sketchpad's surface.

"Naminé! Stop!" Xion snatched her sister's hand, forcing the assault to stop.

Naminé blinked rapidly and held her hands to her mouth. "I'm… I'm so sorry…"

"I-I don't know what happened…I was just drawing a picture of Aqua and…" Naminé peered down at her mutilated and macabre drawing.

What started as a portrait of Aqua; was now a pitch-black illustration. Deep lacerations of black spirals were burrowed deeply into every inch of the paper's desecrated surface. There was not an inch of white left. The sketched duplicate of Aqua had been completely engulfed by darkness.


	15. Non-Believer

* * *

_There is no peace here_

_War is never cheap dear_

_Love will never meet here_

_It just gets sold for parts_

_You cannot fight it_

_All the world denies it_

_Open up your eyelids_

_Let your demons run_

_\- Beat the Devil's Tattoo, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club_

* * *

When Aqua awoke, she realized it was late in the afternoon. She was missing her daily ‘lesson’ but she wasn't about to wake up the sleeping knight and remind him to take her to whoever it was she was meeting with this week. The less corruption she received, the better.

The instant Aqua thought about Terra, she realized he wasn't holding onto her in any way. The knight wasn't even close to her. He was fast asleep on the other side of the bed with his arms folded under his pillow while he lied on the ridged plains of his stomach. Terra's royal blue eyes were gently closed and his normally hard features were soft, they were not marred by worry or indignation.

Aqua sighed.

This was not how she pictured her eighteenth year of life or even her future for that matter. Aqua would have never thought the first man she shared a bed with would be Terra. This wasn't how she wanted things to be. This wasn't how they were supposed to be. Never in a million years would she have thought she would end up here…

Her mind was too turbulent for her to go back to sleep, so she decided to daydream instead…to close her eyes and try to think of a happier time…before Kairi was taken…before she was captured…when she thought she had control of her life…when things were a bit brighter…

_Aqua walked barefoot along the flowing swells of pale yellow sand, holding her silver shoes and black stockings in her hands._

_She glanced over and watched as Kairi ran through the shallow, shimmering water. The red-haired girl carelessly wrestled with the glittering ocean, kicking at the rushing waves and running her fingers through the cascading tidal flow._

" _You are going to get wet," chided Aqua._

_She walked a bit closer to the ocean so that the cool, refreshing water would glide over her bare feet. The water held an orange hue as the setting sun skimmed over its translucent surface._

" _That is the point!" Kairi replied._

_Kairi spun around lightheartedly in the gentle tides, causing the water to burst into oversized droplets that licked up her creamy legs._

" _Okay, but I don't want to hear you complaining about your clothes being wet when you get out," the azure woman lectured as she felt the rising liquid wrap around her ankles._

_The sisters were on their way back to their summer home or shack on the Destiny Islands. Master Eraqus allowed them to stay on the islands during the summer year after year once it became a personal favorite for each of his pupils. They had grown attached to the small world and the people who lived there. It was one of the several places outside of the Dark Realm they frequented._

_Travel was important for Keyblade bearers. It was vital to their growth as wielders. It was crucial to their development and they wouldn’t grow stronger if they didn’t experience other places and their cultures. It was in their blood and Eraqus refused to deny them that even though travel was dangerous for Children of Light, especially Keyblade wielders…_

" _I think that Selphie might actually be in love with her latest boyfriend. What do you think?" Kairi inquired as she left the clutches bloated ocean and returned to her older sister's side._

" _How should I know?!" Aqua shrugged._

" _Oh, that's right. I forget you're not a regular eighteen year old," the redhead taunted before she continued to frolic in the surging, orange waves._

_Kairi had a habit of teasing her about being odd, unnaturally mature, and motherly when Aqua didn’t do something she wanted her to do. It was her way of guilting her into doing something reckless or telling hers something she shouldn’t. It rarely worked but that didn’t keep Kairi from trying nonetheless._

" _I am a regular eighteen year old!" Aqua countered and she threw her shoes to the sandy ground in frustration._

_The sound of rapid footsteps approached them and Aqua figured it was probably Ventus or Selphie._

" _No, you're not," Selphie chimed in once she finally caught up with the siblings._

_They had known Selphie for years. Thanks to Sora, she along with several of the other younger islanders around their age had become fast friends. Aqua could barely recall meeting her now…_

" _It’s nice to see you too, Selphie." Aqua bent over and picked up the sandy shoes she had thrown during her mini tantrum. She couldn't even throw a fit like a regular teenager. She couldn't stand the disorder._

" _And, yes, I think I might actually love this one," the lively girl revealed as she brushed pale sand off her tiny, yellow dress._

" _How long have you two even been together?" Aqua questioned cynically._

" _Hmm…" Selphie chewed her bottom lip as she mulled it over. "Two or three months. I am not entirely sure, but how long we’ve been together isn't important. What is important is that he is a really good kisser and he is adorable."_

_Aqua found this quite shallow and the requirements quite unrealistic for a lasting relationship but held her tongue to keep from hurting her friend’s feelings._

" _Why do boys always make everyone crazy?" the blue Keyblade wielder questioned patronizingly after hearing Selphie's lovesick statement. Aqua never understood the whole boy crazy thing. She had never met a boy who made her talk in such a manner, to make her say things like ‘adorable’ or willingly talk about what a good kisser he may or may not be._

" _Oh, Aqua! Don't be such a spoilsport! Boys can be really fun!" Selphie practically squealed and Kairi giggled into her hands._

_Aqua had to disagree, so she chose not to reply._

" _Isn't that right, Kairi?" the spunky girl with green eyes chittered._

" _I don't know about all boys but Sora is fun." The redhead blushed._

" _See, Aqua? Kairi gets it and she is almost four years younger than you!" Selphie taunted humorously._

" _I just don't get what the big deal is!" Aqua replied indifferently._

**_It was true. I didn't get it…_ **

_Selphie smiled. "Don't worry. When you meet the right guy and fall in love you will understand."_

**_The right guy…_ **

" _That is why I get it. I have already met the right guy," Kairi announced naively yet confidently. "We all know I am going to marry Sora."_

" _How can you even know that? You're fourteen!" the older sibling quickly countered and resisted the urge to throw her shoes in vexation again. "Have you even kissed him?"_

" _No, but that’s beside the point! When you know, you know."_

" _You're fourteen!" Aqua repeated. She knew Kairi and Sora had a special connection, but they were still **really** young..._

" _I believe you, Kairi," Selphie said with a kind-hearted smile._

" _Thank you," Kairi responded before sticking her tongue out at her sister, causing Aqua to quickly return the childish gesture._

" _So, ice queen, I think Wakka has a crush on you," Selphie said casually._

_Aqua's scrunched her nose. Wakka was very nice and funny but…wasn't really her…type._

" _Don't bother trying to set her up with anyone, Selphie. She is saving herself for Zaaaaccckkk!" Kairi spoke in a singsong voice and skipped through fields of creamy sand to emphasize her point._

_The blue Keyblade wielder’s entire face flushed._

" _Oh! Are you talking about the sexy guy with black hair who dumped her?"_

" _He didn't dump me!" Aqua bristled. "He just…had to go away for a while…but he will be back."_

**_No, he won't be back. You were stupid to think that. Zack was never going to come back._ **

" _Sounds like he dumped you," Selphie replied matter-of-factly._

" _He didn't dump me! He just…had some things he had to do…"_

**_I couldn't lie…but I couldn't tell them the truth either…_ **

" _Of course, he did. It sounds like he had some other girls to do," Selphie joked again. "He probably got tired of waiting on the ice queen to put out."_

" _Zack was kind of a womanizer…" Kairi admitted timidly. "Maybe he went back to that other girl he dated before he met you…or maybe he just need diversity…"_

“ _Both are strong possibilities and normally, I wouldn't argue it, but trust me, neither of those are the reason he left," Aqua stated, eyes going distant._

**_No. He definitely didn't leave for other girls. I wish it had been that simple…_ **

" _It’s probably for the best. Aqua is much more concerned about becoming a Keyblade Master than she is having a relationship anyway. Poor Zack would be waiting forever," Selphie added with a shrug._

_She was probably right. Aqua was not ready to commit to anything other than her skills and her craft. She had big plans and husband or even a boyfriend wasn't really a part of those plans. Aqua did think about settling down…eventually, but it certainly wasn't a priority at the moment…_

" _What are we talking about?" Ventus rushed up to the trio with a tittering Namin_ _é_ _on his back. Not too far behind him was Xion, leisurely picking seashells up off the shore._

" _How Aqua is an ice queen," Selphie replied matter-of-factly._

" _I am not an ice queen!" Aqua snapped as Namin_ _é_ _crawled off of Ventus's back._

" _It's okay, Aqua, we like you anyway." Ven winked at her._

" _Thanks, Ven," Aqua said sarcastically before Ventus ran after Kairi._

_The red-haired girl squealed and ran away from him playfully._

" _No, Ven! Don't you dare!" Kairi scolded in between uncontrollable fits of laughter as she did her best to avoid him._

" _So you **don't** want to go for a swim?" Ventus stated impishly. _

_Aqua smiled as she watched Ventus interact with her sister. He was a wonderful brother to them even though they weren’t related to him by blood._

" _No!" the feisty redhead protested even though her ultramarine eyes shown with mischief, silently challenging him._

_Aqua knew her sister was practically daring Ventus to come after her. Kairi loved it this kind of thing._

" _If you get her waterlogged, you are going to be the one to explain why to Master Eraqus," Aqua chastised lightly, folding her arms over her chest._

_Before Aqua had the chance to blink, Ventus turned on her and hauled her over his shoulder._

" _No, Ven! Get **her**!" she objected and frantically pointed to Kairi. "She is the one that wants it! Not me!"_

_Everyone was either laughing or watching as Ven lugged Aqua further out into the ocean before eventually, dropping her into the tide._

_Once Aqua resurfaced, she spat out the water that had gathered in her mouth and glared icy daggers at her foster-brother who only laughed at her._

The sound of Terra clearing his gruff throat brought her out of her reminiscence. He wasn't awake yet, but he was starting to stir. He would wake soon…

Being in the Dark Capital with Terra wasn't part of Aqua's plan and sharing a bed with him _definitely_ wasn't part of her plan. She wanted to become a Keyblade Master. She wanted to see the world, maybe even change it. Aqua wished for impossible things. She desired things that weren’t possible in the world she lived in. She had big dreams, but those dreams died in the face of reality. They had been turned into nightmares by the Overlords infected hands.

Aqua rolled onto her other side so that she could face the dual doors that led to the balcony. The tempting, afternoon sun shone brightly with vibrant hues of gold and orange and she began to wonder if she could sneak out onto the balcony for a bit before Terra woke up. The knight was a heavy sleeper, but she still wasn't sure if she could get out of bed undetected.

Timidly, Aqua sat up and lightly placed her feet onto the thick, red carpet that covered the floor of the room. The lush floor covering slid between her toes but before she could completely rotate her body in the direction of the glass doors that led to the patio, a firm, hot hand gripped her elbow.

A sharp gasp ripped from her throat and she turned to face the owner of the hand.

_"Where are you going?"_

She could feel his hand slightly twitching against her cool, ivory skin. The grip he had on her arm tightened with each rigid word he uttered.

"I-I was going to sit out on the balcony while you slept," Aqua confessed.

Even though she was telling the Dark Knight the truth, she still felt like she was admitting to some horrible crime. He inspected her with eyes that had narrowed into dangerous slits and it only intensified her misplaced guilt.

"Fine. Do what you want," Terra relented blandly and released her quivering arm. "But if you jump off that balcony or try to run off, I _will_ kill you."

His threat made her blood run cold. Normally, when someone said they would ‘kill you’ if you did something, it was an exaggeration to get a point across. However, when Terra said it, he probably meant that he would _literally_ kill her if she tried to escape…

The knight rolled over and slammed his head back into his pillow, coarsely turning away from her.

He was acting weird again.

"Where am I going today?" Aqua asked softly.

She had to ask. She didn't want to go _anywhere._ She was sleep deprived and she would be completely fine with playing hooky all day but it was making her nervous that they were staying in bed until the late afternoon. There would undoubtedly be repercussions for such defiance.

Terra snarled, making Aqua immediately regret the decision to try to converse with him. He was obviously grumpy and tired and she shouldn't have roused him.

" _You_ aren't going anywhere, but _I_ am going to see the Overlords," he grumbled into the fluffy surface of his pillow.

"What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

She hated being cooped up in his room alone. When she was alone, she thought way too much and would quickly become stir crazy. It was different from when Terra was in the room with her. If he was with her, they could fight or talk, but if she was alone, she could only converse with her own depressing thoughts. The silence was much worse than any argument she could have with Terra. The silence reminded her even more of the grave, unbearable situation she was in.

"Sit on your precious balcony or something. Find a way to amuse yourself." Terra sat up when it was becoming clearer and clearer that Aqua wasn't going to let him go back to sleep. Now that he had started thinking and talking, sleep would be impossible for him to retrieve.

"Can't you send for Roxas?" she asked as Terra got out of bed and began stretching his knotted muscles.

"So you two can get into trouble? I don't think so. "Besides, I don't think Roxas is even in the palace or the city for that matter. I think he went to a prison or something."

"Well, can I come with you?" Aqua asked softly and watched her guardian with kind, compassionate eyes of endless blue.

Terra froze and his heart twitched. His royal blue eyes reluctantly gazed back at the source of the serene voice.

Aqua sat on her knees on his bed and she observed him with pure, endearing eyes. She genuinely wanted be with him or maybe she just didn't want to be alone… He wasn't sure which.

"No, I definitely have to go alone," he answered even though he wished he could take her with him. However, she could _not_ hear the conversation he was about to have with the Overlords.

Aqua's vibrant eyes fell.

"But I will be back soon. I promise," Terra yielded. He just couldn't stand hurting her feelings. "I'll always be back," he lightheartedly reminded her, playfully pinching her cheek as he sneered.

* * *

"I think it is time for Blue to get her own room.”

Xehanort's eyes narrowed. The head knight was bordering on being flat-out disrespectful. Luckily for Terra, Xehanort was the only Overlord present so the atmosphere wasn't as tense or as formal.

"Do you think she is ready for such a privilege?" The Overlord leaned forward in his throne and held his hands under his angular chin.

Honestly, Terra wasn't entirely sure if she was ready to obtain that level of freedom, but he _was_ sure that if he didn't get her out of his room soon he would do something stupid.

"I believe so, My Lord," Terra tried to answer as confidently as possible. "She does not need to be as closely monitored anymore."

The Dark Overlord observed him incredulously and Terra shifted uncomfortably within his armor. He knew what Xehanort was thinking. Why would a twenty-one year old boy want an attractive girl out of his room? It was preposterous and he knew it.

"If you insist, I trust your judgment," Lord Xehanort replied ambivalently. "We knew she wouldn't be able to stay with you forever nor did we want her to stay with you forever. She has to learn to do things on her own."

Terra nodded his agreement even though he saw the dubious look within Xehanort's reddish-yellow eyes.

"I will have to discuss the matter with the Court and the Seer Sages, of course," the High Elder rasped. "If we decide she is ready to have her own living quarters, new living arrangements shall be provided for her."

Silently and stoically, Terra stood as the ideal knight although his insides were utter pandemonium. His heart was dumbfounded and his mind was anarchic despite his outward façade.

Physically, nothing about him had changed, but he couldn't help feeling like Xehanort could sense his slight unorthodox transformation. He was mortified that his sovereign could smell the lavender on his tanned skin, petrified that the monarch could see Aqua's invisible kiss upon his lips and the brand she had precisely and delicately engraved into the raw muscle tissue of his heart.

"Do not forget yourself, Terra" Xehanort heeded darkly. "Do not forget who you are and _never_ forget who she is."

The young man decided to play dumb and simply stare blankly at his High Elder. Maybe if he looked clueless enough, Xehanort would stop being suspicious of him, but deep down, Terra knew it was too late. He could tell by the way those strange eyes surveyed him. Xehanort knew. He had seen right through him.

"No matter what you feel for her, she will always be a Child of Light first and foremost. She is your enemy."

Although Xehanort's tone was unchanging, Terra could feel the condemnation behind each syllable that gushed from the Dark Overlord's scratchy throat.

The knight didn't utter a word. What could he say? He had been careless. The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew with himself. He didn't do a very good job of concealing his adoration or his concern for Aqua. He knew he had publically displayed compassion for her in front of many people on several different occasions.

Dark Knights were allowed to have relationships. It was a part of life and the Overlords respected it. They would be allowed to retire and marry after a certain age. However, since a young age, the Overlords always advised to never marry for love. More importantly, the relationship could never affect performance or their sense of duty…

_Aqua does both of those things. She constantly challenges the way I think and she frequently keeps me from doing what I should be doing,_ Terra thought.

"Speaking of your _charge,"_ Xehanort spat. "I think it is time she participated in a Purge. It could easily become a part of her life one day and she needs to be exposed to it as soon as possible."

The Dark Knight's eyes dilated inside his faceless helmet.

_Fuck!_

"Members of the Opposition are supposedly hiding out inside the small village of Mist." Master Xehanort rose to his feet. "I want you to go there with Axel and Vanitas and execute any and all members and imprison the Children of Light that have been helping them. None of you are allowed to return home until the Opposition member by the name of Auron is executed. He is the leader of this little… _group_ that has accumulated in Mist. Vanitas has already been assigned to this job. He knows what to do. Speak with him if you have any further questions."

Terra bristled. Vanitas was clearly taking over as captain. Xehanort spoke as if Vanitas was more qualified for this job and that had been briefed on the situation in much more detail. The knight knew he was only going because they wanted him to take Aqua. Technically, Terra's services were no longer required. He had been replaced…

* * *

Guards stationed within the massive airship, Hildagarde, bowed as Terra and Aqua walked to their quarters aboard the ship. The Child of Light had noticed that the guards showed her much more respect now. They were starting to accept her, the girl who was always at Terra's side. People no longer merely bowed to Terra, it would appear that they bowed to her as well. Terra's status had rubbed off onto her. They were a matched set. Usually one was not found without the other.

"Why are they taking Hildagarde?" Aqua inquired with contempt. Oblivious that she had just excluded Terra from the ‘they’ she spoke of. She spoke as if Terra was not participating with the other knights. She had unmindfully placed Terra on her side.

Hildagarde was the gargantuan airship the knights had taken to the Land of Departure when they Purged Master Eraqus and Kairi. The extravagant ship had blood-red carpet and onyx walling. The metal that made up the walls was morbid and appeared to be a hodgepodge of twisting pipes and patchy scrap metal. It was morbid and disgusting.

The airship was decorated like everything else the Dark Rule touched. Lots of blood and darkness, ruby and ebony floral arrangements sat upon rounded, silver tables, and tapestries of Dark Realm emblems, insignia, and crests were everywhere.

"Prisoners," Terra replied curtly. He didn't want to go into detail and he hoped Aqua would take the hint.

"So they need more room?" she asked meekly, trying not to picture innocent people within the musty, atrocious cells of the Hildagarde.

"Yeah.”

Once they reached their room, Terra opened the door for Aqua and gave a mock gentleman's bow.

"Stop it," she scolded and lightly nudged his shoulder with her own when she brushed past him.

Terra chuckled, unable to stop himself.

When Aqua was safely inside, Terra gently shut the vermillion door behind him and inspected the room.

It was the room he always occupied when he went on Purges, but it was not stuffy or dusty. The bedspread had been changed, some of the furniture had been rearranged, and some of his belongings were missing. Someone had been staying there… Correction: _Vanitas_ had been staying there.

A low growl gurgled in the bronze knight's throat.

Terra had been so distracted by the state of his room he hadn't noticed Aqua closing in on him. She was standing right in front of him when his eyes shot back to her and she was reaching toward his face.

Taken back, he jerked and backed away from her.

Before he could ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, she had already grabbed his headgear and was tenderly removing the object that hid his features from her. She had taken initiative and he was actually impressed. Aqua wasn't really afraid of him anymore and that may or may not be a good thing.

Aqua gently lifted the helmet and watched intently as Terra's face was revealed. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was messy and slightly compressed to the small amount of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. He looked tired. Dark circles gathered under his deep blue eyes and he was a bit paler than normal.

After the helmet was detached, Aqua subconsciously slid her fingers into his tangled mane and tossed his thick, fleecy locks.

Scrunching his face, Terra closed his eyes tightly and allowed her to fix his unkempt hair.

His hair was coarse but still shockingly soft. Aqua had always wondered what his hair felt like. It was much softer than she had anticipated. The smooth strands flowed in between her ivory fingers immaculately. Waves of chocolate-brown smothered the porcelain skin of her hands as her fingers delved deeper and deeper into his mane. As she continued to brush through his matted, she made sure that her skin never came into contact with his. She was extremely cautious.

When he felt her hands retreated, he released the broiling breath he didn't realize he had been holding inside his burning lungs.

"Better?" Terra asked once she finished.

"A little," Aqua teased vacantly and began walking around the room.

It was magnificent, of course. There were several couches, a love seat, and a circular coffee table were elegantly arranged on top of an enormous tawny and crimson rug that was covered in spiraling, angular designs. Oversized, mahogany bookshelves lined the blackened, metal walls while a bed smaller than the one Aqua shared with Terra was placed on the other side of the room.

"Why are we going to Mist?" Aqua asked even though she was terrified of the answer but she assumed that since she was going on a Purge she might as well know some of the details. Maybe if she knew what to expect it might not be as unpleasant.

"Resistance members are supposedly in seclusion there," Terra answered. “The Overlords want them wiped out. They are tired of this war going between them and us and want what is left of the resistance squashed.” 

The Dark Knight waltzed to the mahogany coffee table and examined the bottle of wine that sat on its mirrored surface. He lifted the wine bottle and inspected the label before he realized Aqua was deadly quiet. His dark brow creased and he glanced in her direction. Her eyes were wide and distant, her expression unreadable.

"Friends of yours?" the Dark Knight asked with a touch of scorn.

He placed the pea green wine bottle back on the coffee table and tightly crossed his arms over his armored chest. Aqua wasn't the only one who had learned to read others; Terra had learned to read her as well and something he said had struck a nerve.

Shakily, Aqua shook her head. Her movements were a bit too quick and a bit too jerky for her answer to be entirely truthful.

"Aqua—" Terra began but stopped when the female Keyblade wielder gasped and scurried across the lavish room toward one of the couches.

_"Knock, knock,"_ Vanitas snarled before he barbarically barreled into the room.

_She sensed him. Aqua sensed his darkness,_ Terra mused.

Instinctively, he moved to shield Aqua with his body.

The blue girl couldn't believe her eyes. Terra was actually offering her protection. After the thousands of times he had told her he would never do such a thing and that it wasn't his job to act in such a manner, he was protectively standing between her and Vanitas.

Aqua wasn't necessarily afraid of Vanitas… He just unnerved her and when he was nearby, her natural tendency was to get as far away from him as possible. His skin oozed pungent Darkness. She could always smell him coming but today his Darkness had an even stronger, more overbearing odor. Every bone in her body told her to get away from him… Something was even more off about him lately…

"I thought I might find you two in here." Vanitas slammed the heavy blackened door behind him.

Vanitas was in his full Dark Knight attire, complete with his sleek, glossy helmet.

"But I was hoping _you-"_ Vanitas glared at Terra, “-wouldn't be in here so Aqua and I could get to know each other a little better."

When Aqua heard the devious suggestion, she shrank a little behind Terra's broad frame. Seconds later, her knight was subtly closed the distance between them.

The Child of Light was right. Terra _was_ offering her protection…

_Can Terra sense it too? Can he tell that Vanitas is a bit more unhinged than normal?_

"I don't think she wants to get to know you that way," the bronze knight replied confidently.

"How would you know?" Vanitas inquired, "You have never given her the chance to get to know anyone else. You are a bit greedy, my _brother._ "

Aqua wanted to agree with Terra, but she didn't want to get between the bickering siblings. Vanitas and Terra took sibling rivalry to a whole new level.

When Terra didn't answer, Vanitas began to lurk around the room. "You didn't drink my wine, did you? I know you are a borderline alcoholic but surely you haven't downed the whole thing yet."

"I haven't touched your fucking wine," Terra hissed as Aqua took a seat on the couch behind him. Technically, Terra _had_ touched it but he didn't _drink_ any of it.

The young woman didn't like it when Terra was around the other knights or the Overlords. They always brought out the worst in him. He cursed more, yelled more, and was much more violent when they were around. The Dark Knight would possess him and Terra would cease to exist.

"Anyway…" Vanitas drawled and inspected the wine bottle. "I figured you would be trying to invade your former room, so I came to kick you out."

" _Former_ room?" Terra seethed between gritted, grinding teeth.

"Mm hmm," the vermillion warrior slurred before putting the pea green flagon back onto the tidy surface of the table. "You have to go, but she can stay."

Aqua didn't have to see his eyes to know he was winking at her and possibly even licking his lips in a vulgar manner.

"If she stays, I stay," Terra barked, his bottomless eyes smoldering murderously.

"Perhaps we should place a bet for the room," Vanitas began. "You know, settle things the old-fashioned way."

"State your conditions," Terra demanded without hesitation and Aqua cringed. She had a terrible feeling about this.

"The room goes to the most brutal knight at the Purge. Whoever captures, kills, rapes, destroys, maims, assaults, and/or desecrates the most Opposition members and Children of Light wins the room," Vanitas stated, his body quivering with anticipation and unrivaled bloodlust. He was practically drooling inside his headgear.

"No, Terra," Aqua pleaded, grabbing fistfuls of Terra's blackened cape.

This was going to turn into a full-fledged massacre over a room! Vanitas and Terra played with innocent lives like they were unfeeling, lifeless toys. It was as if life had no value to them, like it was something to be thrown away, to be disposed of, or to offer them entertainment. She didn't want to know how many times something like this had happened in the past.

When Terra felt Aqua’s tugging, he glanced back at her and his expression instantly softened..

"Terra, please," the cerulean girl brought his cape to her aching chest. She desperately wanted to stop this.

A few months ago, Terra would have yanked his cape out of her pathetic hands and told Vanitas to bring it on… He wouldn't have given it a second thought…

"Take your room," the bronze knight relented.

Aqua's eyes went wide. Even though she was begging for Terra's mercy, she hadn't expected to actually receive it.

"Excuse me?!" Vanitas exclaimed.

"You heard me. You can have your room. We will stay somewhere else."

"You have lost your fucking mind!" Vanitas bellowed, his fists balling tightly at his sides. He was appalled by his foster brother's abnormal response.

"No, I just know when I can't win," Terra shamelessly admitted. "How am I suppose to participate in a blood bath with Blue clinging to me? You would just win the room anyway. I am just saving myself the effort."

Aqua's heart sank. The triumph she felt when she thought she had influenced Terra quickly melted away. He backed out of the bet because he didn't want to lose, not because he cared about her opinion or the innocent people who would suffer because of the wager. She had been stupid to think her opinion mattered to him, to think that _she_ mattered to him…

_I shouldn't have expected otherwise… Why would he listen to me? Like he has always said…I am just a stupid Child of Light… What do I know?_

"Coward!" Vanitas screeched and shoved the bookshelf he stood in front of to the metal floor of the room, causing Aqua to squeak and jump. However, Terra merely blinked as if this kind of outburst was commonplace.

Vanitas was infuriated. How dare Terra back out! How dare he cheat him out of the satisfaction of winning! How dare he deny him of this carnivorous binge! How did Terra always manage to win even when he didn't win?!

"Come on, Aqua," Terra said softly and motioned for her to follow him, not realizing he had just called her by name or the fact that Vanitas had heard him.

* * *

She couldn't stop shaking. The Purge had commenced and chaos was unfolding all around her.

People were screaming, blood was spilling, homes were being invaded, windows were shattering, fire was crackling, and tears were falling. During it all, she stood next to Terra.

She was a traitor, a turncoat, and double-crosser. Silently, she stood next to the Dark Knight like a blue-haired succubus. She was _literally_ at his right hand.

Terra barked orders to his henchmen and pointed his fingers in multiple directions. He did not _physically_ participate, but he masterfully pulled everyone's puppet strings. He controlled his men and they operated like a well-oiled machine.

Aqua wondered what Terra would be doing if she was not with him. Would he be breaking in windows? Pulling women away from their husbands by their hair? Would he be casting Dark Firaga to catch innocent homes on fire? Would he be cutting resistance members throats open? The list went on and on and she realized she didn't want to know…

They had not found who or what they were looking for. Aqua could tell by the way the Dark Knights and guards ran from house to house and from building to building. They were almost frantic, borderline desperate.

Mist was small. It was not even classified as a town. It was merely a village buried deep within a dense forest and Aqua was shocked when Terra told her that Opposition members were in seclusion here. However, the longer she watched, the more she realized why the resistance members were hiding here. The knights were struggling to find whatever it was they were screening the town for.

So far, Aqua had heard Terra commanding men to take several people onto the ship, and she was sure she had heard several death gurgles coming from farther inside the village, but the massacre did not cease. They were _still_ looking for something.

The reprehensible sounds were resurrecting corpse like memories she had suppressed years ago. The noises were reminding her of the day of the Purge that slaughtered her parents. Screaming, crying, the sizzle of fire, the hallow clanking of armor, the guttural roaring of the monsters that slaughtered thousands…

' _Aqua! Take Kairi and run as fast as you can! Run! Don't look back! Don't look back!'_

When Aqua held her head away from the mayhem before her, she saw a man being drug out of a crumbling stone home with pale blue shingles upon its rooftop.

Two knights pulled him by his arms and yanked him toward the direction of the Hildagarde. Vanitas was also leaving the small home, slowly following the knights. He was fastening his belt back and adjusting the lower portion of his armor.

_No… No, no, no…_

Shortly after he exited, a sobbing girl stumbled out of the tiny shack before she collapsed to her hands and knees.

Instinctively, Aqua ran through the ash-covered ground to her and knelt by her side. The simmering ash burned her knees but she couldn't bring herself to care. Her physical suffering didn’t matter. It was nothing compared to the pain this girl was experiencing…

The defiled girl had strawberry blonde hair and pallid skin. Her tearing eyes were hazel and her cyan colored dress was ripped in several different places and threatened to fall off her trembling form. They were almost the same age…

_She and that man they took off were probably helping the Opposition... He was probably her husband or her brother..._ Aqua thought as she tried her best not to think about what Vanitas probably did to this poor girl or the man being hauled into the Hildagarde.

Aqua tenderly placed her hands on her quaking shoulders and helped her adjust the crumbling dress. The girl's glossy, hazel eyes traveled to Aqua's face and the blue girl offered a faint smile.

"Y-You," the girl stuttered and blinked away her bloody tears, "You… You are a Child of Light...?"

Aqua nodded and noticed scarlet fluid trickling down the young woman's anemic thighs…

"I-I can see it now." the strawberry blonde held one of Aqua's hands that rested on her shoulder. "It was hard to see amongst their fierce Darkness."

The girl had probably seen her already, standing next to Terra like some kind of diabolical sorceress. That would explain why she couldn't see her Light… Aqua was being suffocated by the immense, infinite blackness.

"Yeah... They cast a tremendous shadow," Aqua spat and glared at the havoc around them.

Charcoal colored buildings were burning and crumbling to the dead ground. Autumn had slaughtered the vibrant grass that had once grown within this peaceful village. The turf was cloudy, gray, and crunched when walked upon. The trees were barren and leafless. Everything within the town was gloomy and dismal. The only color within the defecated village was the glowing fire that consumed traitorous homes and the dry ground that was caught in the crossfire. The dry climate of fall was perfect for the spread of fire. Blazes would likely devour the entire village…

Sapphire eyes shifted back to the girl who was covered in bruises. It looked like Vanitas had beaten her senseless before he molested her. Her rounded, angelic face was swollen but had not bruised yet. It was too soon for them to blacken, but the whelps marred what would normally be a beautiful face.

Rosy cheeks were puffy and discolored, coral lips were chopped and blood oozed from the corner of her plump mouth. Bite marks spoiled the irreproachable flesh of her neck, shoulders, and breasts. The longer Aqua Vanitas's victim, the more she felt that she might vomit. Suddenly, the scars on Aqua's wrists didn't seem as gruesome…

As gently as she could, Aqua placed her hands on each side of the girl's bloated face and tried to cast Cure.

Her fingers began to glow white and the radiance glided over the girl's face but it did not heal. Aqua closed her eyes and tried harder. She could feel the coolness of Cure but she didn't feel the life within it. The spell was sterile and didn’t rejuvenate anything.

A cry erupted from Aqua's throat as the discomfort of conjuring overcame her.

_I can’t do it…_

"H-Hold on!" Aqua pleaded frantically. By now she was shaking almost as much as the girl next to her. "I can get Terra to heal you," she said before she jumped to her feet.

"No!" the abused girl cried and quickly snatched Aqua's arm. "Don't you dare call that monster over here!" The young woman pulled Aqua back down to the stale ground beside her.

"He can heal you…”

"No. My wounds run too deep. Magic cannot heal the damage that has been done…" the broken girl explained, her voice firm yet hollow.

Aqua's eyes began to tear and she grabbed the girl's hand. She wanted to restore her faith but she had no idea how she could do that… As she fought the tears she looked around for Terra. For some reason she wanted to know where he was. Maybe it was to see if he was coming after her. Maybe she wanted him to heal the girl anyway. Maybe she just wanted to make sure he had not left her alone…

"You care for him," the girl stated as she watched Aqua's vibrant eyes search the area for the Dark Knight. "You trust that demon in human skin."

"No. I just wanted him to—"

"You wanted him to help because you trust him," the shattered girl said coldly. "You wouldn't want to go after him if you didn't."

Aqua reeled."N-No. I-I—"

"What is wrong with you?" The girl's dead eyes watered and her voice quivered. "How can you stand next to him? How can you even stand to look at him?!"

"I-I don't…" was all she could muster.

"You are no better than they are if you can tolerate them." The wounded girl's bitter words rang true and (not for the first time) Aqua was ashamed of herself.

"You're a Child of Light… How could you? They have tried to wipe out everything that we stand for! They have tried to destroy our entire civilization! Our way of life! Our customs!"

"I know that." Aqua’s voice was low as she held her head down and stared at the colorless ground that was beginning to turn black from the soot that gathered on its surface.

"Then how can you offer me _his_ help?"

The blue-haired Keyblade wielder's eyes stung fiercely. "I-I just wanted to help…"

The strawberry blonde shook her head. "There is no help for us. Not anymore. They are uprooting us one by one and they are breeding us out. Our future is bleak."

"Don't talk like that! There is hope. There is always hope," Aqua held the strawberry blonde’s limp hand with both of hers. "Even in the deepest Darkness, a Light shines within… My grandmother once told me that…"

Foggy, hazel eyes peered into eyes of dazzling baby blue. "I wish I could believe that. I truly do, but I cannot after all I have been through. I can't have hope. Not anymore."

Just as Aqua was about to plead with the girl, more screams and uproarious commotion interrupted her. She heard Terra's voice… No, she heard his roar.

"W-Wait here. I will be right back," she stated before she ran off in the direction of Terra's burly voice, wiping the girls blood on the front of her sweater as she ran.

Embers and cinders dispersed and fluttered around her feet as she ran through the vandalized village. Ash fell from the sky like snow and smoke contaminated the air like a virus.

"Terra?" Aqua cried as she coughed and gagged on the sweeping amounts of smoke. The cinders burned her eyes, causing them to tear. Ash-filled tears rolled down her soot-covered face.

"Terra!"

She couldn't find him. Aqua continued running between the crumbling homes and old buildings. She pushed through small groups of guards, soldiers, and lower ranking Dark Knights as she tried to follow the faint rumble of Terra's distinct voice. She rounded a building corner and found a jade knight wearing a menacing, silver mask over his eyes and nose.

Aqua gripped Axel's arm. "Where’s Terra?"

Grabbing her elbow, Axel hauled her though the tiny crowd of Dark Knights and villagers. The hooded knight pointed to his comrade and she instantly yanked her arm out of his feeble grip.

The Dark Rule had found who it was looking for.

It was a man, a resistance member by the look of him. He wore a long, red robe and one of his arms was resting in a sling across his chest. His hair was black and his left eye had a large scar over it that had permanently shut his eye, suggesting that he had either been in the Great War or in a nasty Purge… The samurai-like man held a huge sword over his back and he was preparing to clash with Terra again.

Aqua couldn't stand the violence anymore. She pushed and shoved and fought her way through the crowd until she was between the two men.

The Child of Light planted herself in front of the member of the Opposition and firmly held her arms out to defend him. The black-haired man watched her with bewilderment, as did everyone else around them.

Terra panted roughly within his helmet before hissing, "Move.”

Aqua quickly shook her head.

"Move before I _make_ you move," he threatened again, but the female Keyblade wielder didn't waver.

She swallowed hard and stood unyieldingly in front of the stranger but to Aqua, this man wasn't a stranger. He represented much more than that to her. He could be anyone she cared about or anyone that wanted a better life. He was a Child of Light just like her…

The bronze knight lowered his Keyblade and stomped toward her but she only backed further away from him and closer to the man she was trying to protect.

"Light-damn it, Aqua, stop!" Terra roared and reached for her but she jerked away.

"No!" she countered firmly and continued to guard the leader of the small group of Opposition members that inhabited Mist.

"Stop trying to save everyone!" The frustrated knight seized the blue girl’s arm.

"Stop trying to stop me!" Aqua cried and pushed vigorously at his deplorable hold.

Pent-up tears finally streamed down her dirty cheeks. Real tears fell, not tears that had been forced from her eyes from all the smoke and ash.

She collapsed to her knees and the crowd fell silent. Terra firmly held his captive's arm as she wept. She didn't feel the warmth of his hand. She only felt the deadly cold of his acrid gauntlet…

"Axel!" Terra called into the crowd, his voice unsympathetic and coarse. "Take Blue."

Aqua was viciously yanked to her feet and thrown into the waiting arms of Axel. The jade knight started to flip her around but Aqua covered her face with her hands and hid her face in his unsuspecting chest.

She knew Terra's tone. She knew what it meant. It meant that he was going to finish what he started.

"Don't make me watch," she pleaded, tightly shutting her eyes and covering her throbbing ears.

Axel didn’t answer, but he didn't force her to watch.

The fight continued for what seemed like hours until Terra masterfully maneuvered behind the man and held him by the throat. One hand was placed on the top of his black head while his other arm wrapped around his thick neck. With one swift, unforgiving motion, Terra snapped the man's neck and let the limp body fall to his feet. Soot and embers puffed and flurried around the carcass and Terra's steel-plated legs.

* * *

"Would you?" Aqua stormed after Terra down the countless halls of the Hildagarde.

Silence.

"Answer me, Terra!" she continued and the guards stationed throughout the ship watched closely.

They were probably wondering why the man who had just publically executed a major member of the Opposition with his bare hands was letting this insignificant young woman yell at him in such a way.

"Would you?"

Aqua grabbed handfuls of his cape and began trying to reel him backward or get his attention. Terra wasn't sure which.

Desperately, she pulled and tugged at the fabric, only to be carried further down the hallway with the man the cape was attached to.

Guards chuckled as they watched her struggle to stop the Dark Knight’s fierce advance.

"Terra!" Aqua shouted and securely dug her heels into the vermillion carpet of the Hildagarde, causing the bronze knight to stagger and lurch backward.

Terra coughed a few times and rubbed his damaged throat. While he was distracted, Aqua clawed his steel-plated arm and used all of her strength to bristly spin him around.

"Would you Purge me?"

Terra swallowed hard. He swallowed _really_ hard but didn't speak.

Forcefully, Aqua shoved his helmet off his head and violently threw it down the hall. Her sparkling eyes shot frosty daggers into his as she waited for his answer.

Terra's heart clenched painfully. Her eyes weren't detached as they normally were but they were still filled with resentment and abhorrence. He hated it… It hurt to see her look at him like that…

Once the Keyblade wielder saw Terra was not going to answer her, she roughly ran her fingers though the sides of his hair. Slender fingers held him by his dark brown tresses and domineeringly compelled him to regard her.

"Now that you know me," Aqua spoke softly and delicately, her hands gently pulling at the locks that were held tightly in her clenched fists, "would you Purge me?"

A lump the size of a moogle lodged in Terra's windpipe. He wasn't sure how to answer because he didn't really know the answer. Sure, he didn't want to Purge her. He loved her but his sense of duty and responsibility still ran very deep. Terra wasn't sure what he would do if he were ordered to Purge her… He didn't like to think about it… He couldn't kill her, but he wasn't sure if he could disobey his monarchs either…

"I-I don't know," he finally answered truthfully, his midnight blue eyes falling to the ship's floor. He couldn't watch her reaction to his answer.

"That is what I thought." Aqua let go of his hair and blazed down the passageway alone, not bothering to wait for him.

Sighing heavily, Terra leaned against the metal wall and watched her leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Okay let’s talk about this chapter a bit. First of all, I thought it was important for me to give everyone an idea of what Aqua was like before everything happened to her hence the flashback. And, yes, the Zack mentioned in the flashback WAS Zack Fair, but let me make it ABUNDANTLY clear that I do NOT mean that scrawny, unusual depiction of him that we saw in Birth By Sleep. I mean Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Zack. I repeat, I mean Zack Fair from CRISIS CORE! If you do not know what I mean, I encourage you to look it up! 
> 
> And, yes, I did kill off Auron (Final Fantasy X/Kingdom Hearts 2) in this chapter. Yeah, I did that. I know. I’m awful. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	16. I Forgot to Remember to Forget

* * *

_Well go and fine my life and I'll wait_

_And I'll aline my eyes north to find day_

_I've been crawling on my eyes for you_

_And the walls I've broke through_

_I've been walking on a tight rope falling_

_And I been looking for a lifeboat for you_

_I been looking for a light left in your eyes_

_I've been walking on a tight rope feeling_

_And I've been looking for a lifeboat for you_

_I been looking for a light left in your eyes_

_-Life boat, Early Morning Rebel_

* * *

Thunder rumbled outside of Tarnen Palace and rain began to sprinkle upon the unsuspecting city of Hollow Bastion. Precipitation splattered against the dual balcony doors of Terra's quarters.

Aqua sat at the foot of the oversized bed within the luxurious, crimson room and watched the raindrops stream down the clear glass of the doors that led to her favorite sitting place. Silently, she sat and counted the pouring raindrops that teemed down the translucent crystal. After she got tired of counting the torrents, she started seeing which drops would reach the bottom of the doors first.

Aqua had found her coping mechanism: repression. When Terra left her alone, she would avoid thinking about anything. She wouldn't think about her family, she wouldn't think about the Purges she'd been forced to witness, she wouldn't think about her old life, and she wouldn't think about who she use to be. She found that the only way she could keep from going crazy or diving into perpetual despair was to think about the present. She only lived in the now. Everything else was too painful, but her present wasn't as terrible if she repressed the past. She didn't live from day to day but more moment to moment.

At that moment, she was waiting for Terra to return. Aqua had gone to her lesson with Xaldin then she went to the gardens to enjoy the flowers and the deceivingly beautiful scenery. After that, her guardian came to get her and sent her back to his living quarters so he could meet with the Court. She did as she was instructed and went to his room.

Aqua had practiced her magic to the point of unbearable torment and now all she had to do was watch raindrops scamper across the glass of the massive, transparent doors that led to Terra's balcony.

The sound of the golden doorknob turning disturbed her eardrums and the azure female listened for Terra's clinking armor.

"Helmet," she chided without looking long before the knight ever had the opportunity to speak.

With a disgruntled sigh, Terra did as he was told and tossed the helmet onto his bed next to her.

"Good news, Blue," the earthen warrior stated cheerfully and made his way around the bed so he could face her.

Aqua was used to him calling her Blue in public but usually, within the privacy of his room, he called her by her real name. When Terra called her Blue in private, it automatically made her expect the worst.

"You are getting your own room," he announced proudly with a pleased, smug smile.

The young woman recoiled.

"What?" Aqua's baffled eyes rose to meet his.

"That's right. You don't have to stay with me anymore. The Overlords said you would be rewarded for good behavior. Did you not believe them?"

"Well, they aren't the most trustworthy people I know." Aqua rolled her eyes.

"They were being honest when they told you that," Terra assured her confidently.

His displaced loyalty made her stomach lurch.

"It's just kind of hard to believe," she answered, her eyes going distant with every word she spoke.

"You're a grown woman. You're an adult. It's only fair that you are treated as one." The Dark Knight began strolling around the canopy bed. "Besides, there is no point in you staying in here with me anymore. I don't even confine you anymore… We just… lay together."

_Actually, we basically cuddle, but I don't suppose the details really matter,_ Terra mused and tried to fight off the blush that fought to take over his cheeks.

Aqua knew all of this was true and that Terra was making excellent points but she was skeptical… No, she was down right uncomfortable. Why was this conversation making her so uncomfortable? Didn't she want to get out of Terra's bed? She should be happy to hear that she was getting her own room…

"I'm still in charge of you. I'll still escort you to your lessons, to Purges, and we will still practice together, but you don't have to share a bed with me anymore."

"Oh," the blue girl muttered, her eyes drifting to Terra's armor-plated feet.

"'Oh?'" The Dark Keyblade Master snorted. "I go through the trouble of getting the Court to give you your own room and all I get is 'oh'?"

Aqua was not sure how she felt about all this. Months ago, she would have been ecstatic, but now…she was almost terrified. It was true that she had found a coping mechanism for when Terra was away and when she was alone, but she was never alone for long. If she had her own room, she would be alone a lot more and being alone frightened her. Anyone could bust in on her if they wanted to. There was always a sense of security with Terra. She knew he would never let anyone harm her.

_My prickly, security blanket…_

"I'm sorry." Aqua began fidgeting with the tips of her fingers. "I'm just kind of unsure."

Being alone also meant that she might be tempted to think and lately, she didn't like doing that. Aqua had realized that thinking was what hurt her. She had stopped using her head and she had started letting things go. Things were easier that way.

_Repress it. Repress it. Repress it,_ she chanted like mantra, squeezing her weary eyes shut.

"If you are going to miss me that much, I can always come stay the night with you and keep your bed warm," Terra somewhat joked as he sat next to her on the bed.

"Don't be a pervert," Aqua said softly and vacantly.

She laced her fingers in her lap and Terra desperately fought the desire to hold her hands within his.

"You have been in my bed for months and I have not attempted a  _single_  dishonorable action. I don't think you have the right to call me a pervert."

Terra had actually  _wanted_ to do many dishonorable actions in his bed with her but he never tried a thing despite his savage, carnal desires. But it was getting harder and harder for him to do so and that was exactly why he wanted her out of his bed. He knew he was probably one night away from doing something stupid and he  _couldn't_  do anything stupid.

"Fair enough," she mumbled.

_You are going to miss him,_ a voice that sounded like the girl from Mist harshly chastised her.

"I wouldn't hate it if you visited me," the Keyblade wielder finally admitted as she glanced over at the man at her side.

Terra smiled and Aqua's heart thumped so hard against her sternum that it almost hurt.

She wanted him to visit her. Terra was her only constant there. No matter what happened, Terra was always there. He was there to fight with, to talk to, and sometimes, to even comfort her.

"I'll visit you as much as you want me to." Terra brushed her hair off her shoulder. He didn't like it when she hid behind her hair. He wanted to see her and he didn't want her to hide from him.

"I will want you around more at first… You know, until I adjust…" Aqua blushed when she felt Terra's heated fingertips graze her shoulder as he moved her hair.

"Of course," he spoke sincerely, his voice tender yet heavy. "Once a day?"

The Child of Light nodded.

"You can always come after me if you need me…" The knight uncomfortably cleared his throat, "I'm not leaving and you can usually ask around and find me… You know, if you ever needed to. Plus, you know where my room is…"

Their eyes met and Aqua grinned. "Thank you, Terra."

_I'm going soft. I'm so fucking soft I bet Moogles make jokes about how soft_ _ **I**_ _am…_ Terra harshly scolded himself.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll escort you to your room," the Dark Knight rose to his feet and rotated his suddenly tense shoulders.

* * *

As the foursome trekked through ZoZo, Xion was practically plastered to Riku's side. Ventus's hands twitched with anticipation, mentally preparing himself to summon his Keyblade, Wayward Wind, at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Naminé held onto one of his twitching appendages.

Riku's hands grew hot as his body prepared to conjure if it came to it while the black-haired girl next to him popped her knuckles anxiously.

They didn't need to conjure or call forth their Keyblades. They could not attract unwanted attention. They didn't need to draw any form attention within the rainy city. The more they blended in, the better.

The dreary, cavernous, and cracked streets of ZoZo were covered in puddles of tar and inky mud. Homeless bandits, thieves, and lepers lined the littered alleyways and sat on or by the many empty crates that were scattered along building sides.

Some of the residents didn't even appear to be living. Many of the immobile bodies lying face down in pools of fallen rain and waste could easily be corpses while the men who were alive watched menacingly from gloomy backstreets filled with disorganized trashcans and wooden crates.

Each time they passed an alleyway or shadowy passageway, Riku instinctively pulled Xion closer to him and walked closer to Naminé and Ventus.

"How are we even going to find the seeress?" Naminé asked, wiping the hoard of raindrops off of her cherubic face.

Ven scratched the back of his damp head and surveyed the area. ZoZo didn't have many buildings but the buildings the metropolis did have were many stories high.

He shielded his electric blue eyes from the pelting rain and gazed up at the manmade structures of ZoZo.

The establishments were rusted and had no windows, just creaky wooden shutters. Half of the buildings didn't even appear to be inhabited anymore. Timber doors were boarded shut with corroded nails while mold coated the stairwells that wrapped around the unusual towering buildings.

"I guess we are going to have to ask around. I don't have a clue where to even start and I am not about go busting into any of these hazardous looking buildings," Ventus glared at the ominous structures.

"Did this… _Matoya_ …tell you where the seeress is?" Riku asked again for the millionth time since Xion and Naminé had told them about the puzzling encounter with the woman in Jidoor.

The silver-haired man kicked at a random patch of grass that was fighting its way through the cracking cement of the street and waited their answer.

"No," Naminé tried to ring some of the heavy precipitation out of her golden hair. "She just said to go to ZoZo and to ask for Mona."

"I don't want to ask anyone here for anything..." Xion tried to disappear behind her hood as they passed another mob of hostile looking people.

"I don't either but the quicker we find the seeress, the quicker we can leave and hopefully find Aqua," Ventus declared and began peering through the gathering gloom that surrounded the city for a somewhat friendly face.

"I don't recommend talking to anyone out here. Let's try and talk to a storeowner or something," Riku suggested.

For almost an hour, the quartet tried to find a functioning business or an individual who might not try to mug or harm them. After entering several vacant shops and knocking on rusted, maroon doors, the party traveled to the other side of the city and entered the lofty, multistory inn.

The inn was the last option they had before they started talking to hookers and pickpockets. The other part of the city was no longer reachable. An earthquake had created a huge rift separating the urban area into multiple pieces and pulling a few buildings down into the crevasse with it.

"Excuse me," Ven called and approached the front desk.

A homely, middle-aged woman stood behind the desk. Her hair was pitch black with several thin streaks of white running through her unnaturally long, ratty mane.

The woman's pale, green eyes shifted between the four strangers while she continued to eerily pluck the petals off the colorless flower arrangement that sat on the desk.

Rats scampered across the floor and roaches scaled the grimy walls and crawled along the mustard yellow carpet.

"Need a room?" the innkeeper asked gruffly.

"Um, no," the blonde boy answered courteously, trying his best to ignore the roaches that almost scrambled across his feet. "We are looking for the seeress."

The woman's eyes narrowed in contemplation. A scrawny black cat leapt to her lap and she began roughly stroking the bony beast, rubbing her chin with her free hand as she dwelled on the statement.

"Mona?" Xion inquired when she noticed the woman was not reacting to the word seeress.

Riku had begun stomping out the countless roaches with his heel while he waited for the strange woman to reply.

"She lives on the top floor, but she doesn't care for visitors anymore. She used to be a bit of a fortune-teller for a living. People would come to her for fun. Get her to tell them their fortunes and what not," the female innkeeper explained and scratched the back of the cat's disfigured bug infested ear, "Mona isn't as friendly as she used to be which is saying something because she was never really friendly to begin with. No one comes to see her anymore as a result, but if you want to go see her, I won't stop you, top floor, the only door at the top of the final staircase. You can't miss it."

"Thank you very much," Ventus replied mannerly and grabbed Naminé by her shoulders and began swiftly escorting her up the reddish-brown staircase that was covered in dust.

"Oh, and I wouldn't recommend calling her a seeress!" the bizarre woman called, "Not to many people are fond of that kind of title. Bad juju," she added with a cackle.

They began climbing the seemingly endless, under lit stairwell and the longer they climbed, the more nervous Xion became. She began questioning her decision to rely on Naminé and her instincts. Perhaps it was a bad idea to help Naminé convince Riku and Ven following this lead was a good idea when she  _never_ laid eyes on the woman Naminé supposedly saw. To make matters worse, it was dawning on her of who they were going to see…a former Seer Sage.

"Wait, you guys," Xion called once her nerves ultimately got the best of her.

Everyone stopped their advance and turned to face her.

"Are we sure we need to do this? I mean, we are going to see an ex Seer Sage. Not just a seeress but a  _full blown_  Seer Sage," Xion said, her pale hand tightly gripping the rusted, greasy railing beside the staircase.

"You're getting nervous now?" Ven inquired skeptically. "We walk through a town full of thieves, prostitutes, rapists, lepers, thugs, you name it and you show no signs of fear, but you are afraid of some ex seeress that you suggested we go to?"

"I'm not afraid. It just finally occurred to me what she is…or what she was. She supposedly served the Overlords. That is kind of intimidating…"

"It is but that is also another reason we really need to talk to her. If she lived in Hollow Bastion and served the Overlords, she probably has a lot more insight than most. She is the best lead we have gotten in a long time and I'm not leaving until we at least  _try_  to talk to her," Riku declared before he removed his hood and peeled back his blindfold.

He walked down the steps and stood in front of Xion and held her petite shoulders in his gloved hands. "Xion, it will be all right. I promise."

Meekly, Xion smiled and began marching up the infinite amount of steps again.

When they reached the top tier, there were no more hallways. All that remained was one more flight of stairs that led to the last room in the inn. It was as if they were walking into the attic itself. The room was completely isolated from the rest of the establishment.

"Okay," Riku said with a sigh. "This is it. Last chance to turn back."

The group exchanged glances, but no one said they wanted to turn back. They had left the safety of their home to find Aqua. They played with disaster daily to locate her and help her if necessary. They had committed themselves to saving Aqua and they were not turning back or giving up until she was safe and reunited with them."

"Go ahead, Ven." Xion bobbed her head toward the door.

With a heavy sigh, Ventus knocked upon the tarnished, coppery door.

_"Enter."_

Ventus slowly opened the door for his sisters. Once the two girls entered the dimly lit room, he and Riku followed close behind.

"Shut the door," the smooth, velvety, elegant voice commanded and Ven quickly obeyed. He didn't know this woman, but he  _did_  know he didn't want to get on her bad side.

The room was dark and only lit by a small amount of candles and a few tiny lamps that gave off an eerie glow of green, purple, and pink.

As their eyes adjusted, more details of the room began to emerge.

The walls were olive-colored and the floors were covered in purple flooring with pink and blue squared designs. A rounded table covered in vibrant candles sat at the head of the room while a king sized bed with cadmium yellow covers jutted from the opposite wall. The colors inside the room were unorthodox and did not match at all.

An emerald chair with golden lining sat in one of the blackest corners of the room and within that chair sat the seeress. Ven almost jumped out of his skin when he finally saw her.

"A-Are you the seeress?" he stuttered and instinctively reached for Naminé's hand.

"Who wants to know?"

None of the party members knew how to answer her so they chose not to. The sound of water dripping off their sopping clothes and onto the bizarre flooring was the only sound echoing through the room while Ventus mulled over possible answers to the question.

"I sense three Children of Light," the seeress spoke, "And a Prince of Darkness."

Ven's eyes continued to adjust to the murkiness inside the room and he began to see the woman's features. Her wavy hair was long and gray but covered in white stripes. Her eyes were an intense, pale steel blue. Ven's eyes widened with realization. She was completely blind.

The more he looked at her, the more he realized she was not that old, a bit younger than the Master. Her hair was gray and white and her eyes were worn and decrepit but her skin was smooth and hardly marred by the aging process. The woman had aged but not because she was elderly. Something else had drained the life from her.

"Mona?" Ventus inquired.

She nodded.

"We came seeking your help."

"It has been a long time since I received visitors and it has been even longer since Children of Light have approached me. What could I possibly offer you?" Mona questioned, steadily running her fingers over the texture of her armrest. "I have a feeling you have not come here for something trivial like when you will meet your soul mate."

"No. We are looking for someone. Matoya sent us. She said you could help us," the blonde young man walked a bit closer to the seeress.

For the first time since they entered, Mona had a genuine reaction to something they said. Her sightless eyes widened and she went very pale, looking as if she'd seen a ghost before quickly regaining her cold composure.

"Perhaps," she answered curtly, placing her dignified hands under her chin. Her washed out eyes shone supernaturally in the feeble candlelight while the clashing fragrances of the candles hung heavy in the cloudy room.

"Some Dark Knights took her. We are trying to figure out where she might be," Riku said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"How long has she been gone?" the blind woman ran her ring-covered fingers over a small flickering flame of one of the candles, but did not flinch when the blaze licked her skin.

"Months," Ventus said dejectedly and shook his head.

Ven hated admitting how long she had been gone. It was hard to comprehend and it caused him physical pain to think of how much could happen in that amount of time. The horrible possibilities were endless and he was ashamed of himself for not finding her sooner…but he had done the best he could.

"Following a cold trail are we?" The seer chuckled. "Do you have anything of hers?"

Riku and Ven looked at each other. "The bird?" Riku mentioned doubtfully.

"No. No, pets. It has to be something she owns. A brush, a ribbon, a trinket, or any kind of object," Mona explained and ran her sophisticated hands through her lengthy, curled tresses.

Xion instantly noticed how the seeress held herself. The middle-aged woman was refined and poised. She had definitely lived within the Dark Realm. She moved similar to royalty despite her outward appearance. The magenta shirt she wore was long sleeved and the fabric was sheer around her arms and neckline. The neckline was circular but fell modestly just below her neck. Meanwhile, the billowing skirt she wore was pitch black and ruffled around her legs like swells of darkness.

"We don't have anything of hers like that," Xion said disappointedly. "I'm sorry. I should have thought of bringing something of hers."

"It's fine. You had no way of knowing." Ven patted her shoulder in assurance.

"In that case, we will have to rely on other methods," Mona replied after her visitors had stopped speaking amongst themselves. Her hearing was impeccable. "You said Dark Knights took her? Was she Purged?"

"No," Riku shook of his head. "They just took her."

Mona's sightless eyes dilated for a moment before they fell back to their normal emotionless state. "Who saw her last?"

"Uh, I did," Riku reluctantly admitted. He started to raise his hand, but he quickly remembered this woman could not see.

"The Dark Prince saw her last?" the seeress sneered and Riku reeled. The woman might be blind, but she still managed to see and she wanted to prove it.

Mona held her hand out palm up. "I can sample your memories if you wish."

"Will it help you?" The silver haired Keyblade Master suspiciously approached the woman and her peculiar offering.

"It might. Only one way to be sure," she answered and her elegant fingers twitched as she waited for his hand. "Don't be afraid. I will only take what you offer. The privacy of your mind will not be violated."

Riku frowned but he stood before the woman anyway. "What do I do?"

"Just think of the last time you saw her. Offer whatever you think will be helpful," the former Seer Sage said with a smile.

In spite of Riku's immense skepticism and distrust of the woman before him, he gave her his hand.

When she felt the leathery texture of his black gloves, her nose wrinkled in disgust and she rapidly removed the object that prevented her from obtaining skin-to-skin contact.

Mona cupped Riku's hand within both of hers and closed her pallid eyes.

The Dark Keyblade Master could feel her tapping on his skull with her long, illusionary fingernails. It did not hurt but somehow he knew she was asking for his offering, his memories so he began to think of the last time he saw Aqua.

The instant Riku began reminiscing inside his head, the annoying tapping ceased and she was absorbing his memories like a sponge. He gave her all he had. He offered everything up to the point in which he blacked out.

Once Riku finished, Mona instantly released his appendage.

"Hmmm." Mona held her hand over her mouth in contemplation.

"Well?" the silver haired young man inquired as he snatched his ebony glove off the floor slipped it back onto his hand.

"She is probably in Hollow Bastion," Mona announced flatly.

"Fuck," Riku hissed under his breath.

"What? Are you sure?" Ven asked frantically, taking a desperate step forward.

"I know that this is not the news you were hoping to hear, but I do not see any other reason for this kind of abduction."

"What makes you so sure?" Riku said, trying his best to control the volume of his voice.

"Because something similar happened to me," Mona answered with a dark, sinister smile and the room fell deadly quiet. Her tone made their blood run cold. "They probably wanted to use her, so whatever they wanted to do to her, they have probably already done it by now."

"What do you mean?" Naminé held her hands over her quivering heart.

"Acquisition. They most likely want to use her powers as their own. She is probably going through or _has_  gone through rehabilitation. Your friend is probably one of their many pawns by now," the former Seer Sage replied abruptly.

"No, Aqua would never do that," Xion said feverishly. "She wouldn't. She would die before serving the Dark Rule."

" _Your_ Aqua probably wouldn't, but  _theirs_ would," Mona countered bluntly. "That is what rehabilitation is all about. It slowly turns you into someone else, someone who is much more compliant, someone who will obey them and do what they want."

"Aqua won't do what they want," Ven insisted.

"Do you think I wanted to be a Seer Sage?" the blind woman asked gruffly, "I was a Child of Light too, but they took me to their capital and rehabilitated me. Before I knew what happened to me, I was an obedient Seer Sage."

"But you escaped. I mean, you are here now," Xion mentioned hopefully.

"No, I didn't escape." Mona laughed ominously and shook her head dejectedly. "They used me up then threw me out with their other worthless tools. I went blind because I am not a natural seer. I had to try much harder to please them and keep up with the other seers. It almost killed me. Being a seer drained the life right out of me. It is why my hair is gray and why my eyes are dead."

"They found another girl to replace me. She was but a child but her abilities were remarkable, a natural seer and a being who had not yet been contaminated by Light. They named her Larxene and once I taught her all I knew, once they had the perfected byproducts I helped them create, I was disposed of. That is what your friend has to look forward to; the day of her disposal. No one escapes from the Dark Capital, it has never been done and I am confident that it will never  _be_  done," the seeress continued morbidly.

"So you are saying that she is a seer or something by now?" Ventus finally had enough composure to speak.

"She will be whatever they want her to be," Mona answered harshly. "And when they are done with her, she will walk through the same nothingness that I do. A castaway from the Light and a scourge of the Darkness."

* * *

"It's beautiful," Aqua said desolately as she walked through her new living quarters, running her fingertips over the pristine golden surface of her vanity.

It was more than what she needed but the room was stunning. The chamber was smaller than Terra's but it was still much more than what Aqua required. The room reminded her of Larxene's room the few times she had entered it, except this room was not nearly as ornate or extravagant or as golden. Larxene's room was covered in gold and jade but Aqua's new room was mostly white with faint hints of powder blue scattered throughout its space. Terra had probably picked it out especially for her.

A snowy canopy bed sat in the center of the room. Billowing, white fabric with pale blue floral designs cascaded down each of the four banisters that supported the oversized canopy above the bed. The bed itself was pure white; even the headboard was white, silky baby blue pillows sat at the head of the bed and were surrounded by countless chalky pillows.

An embroidered, colorless armchair sat in front of the foot of the bed. A golden vanity was at the bed's right and was covered in golden candlesticks, a music box, and other priceless trinkets. The vanity's gold trimmed mirror towered to the ceiling and was framed by two large candle-like light fixtures mounted upon the bleached wall. The walls were coated in powder blue trim with engraved florets on some of the walls.

Everything was overdone. The paintings of landscapes upon her walls were exorbitant. The polished wooden floors were flawless and the ice blue curtains that kept the sun from shining through the oversized windows were made of the finest satin.

"I made sure they gave you a room with a balcony." Terra took a seat at the tiny ivory table on the other side of the room and carelessly propped his feet onto it's clear surface. "I know how much you liked mine."

The blue girl gave a vague grin at his kind words but she did not explore the patio. She knew Terra was trying to make her happy but it wasn't really working. He cared for her. She knew he did. Anyone with eyes could see that he had grown fond of her and maybe somewhere deep down inside herself she cared for him as well… Her feelings toward him had definitely changed… Her feelings toward  _everything_  had changed.

Her memories of her home and family weren't the only memories she had been repressing lately. She also repressed her unpleasant memories of Terra. Repressing everything made everything a bit easier to swallow. It allowed her to accept Terra and think of him as two different people, the man and the Dark Knight. She hated the Dark Knight…but she didn't hate the man… No, she definitely didn't hate him.

"Thank you," Aqua said softly and elegantly took a seat in the white chair at the foot of her bed.

"This is usually where rehabilitation  _subjects_  or special visitors stay. It hasn't been inhabited in years," Terra explained as he got up to inspect the state of the room, running his fingers across furniture surfaces to check for dust. "I told them to clean everything up for you."

Aqua nodded her appreciation.

"Hey. Are you okay?" the knelt in front of her. His tone gentle and caring as he absent-mindedly he placed a lock of cobalt behind her ear.

Feeling his touch against her face, she quickly swatted his unwanted hand away.

Terra could see it. Aqua's spirit was breaking. She had reached the point where she simply accepted everything. Her will to fight was fading just as the Overlords and Seer Sages had predicted. The young woman looked sad and almost defeated.

The Dark Knight slid his hands up her stocking covered legs until he found the exposed flesh of her thighs, subtly slipping his fingertips into her shorts so he could feel the cool skin of her legs. As he rubbed her thighs, he noticed how detached her eyes were.

"Hmmm?" Aqua finally answered and her eyes brightened, causing Terra's heart to thunder fiercely in his chest. Her Light wasn't completely extinguished and he was glad.

_What am I thinking? The whole point of this was to get rid of that pesky radiance. Why am I happy to see it?_

"Y-Yeah. I'm okay." She gave a small smile. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Hey. Want to go out to the practice field and train?" he inquired. "I won't even wear my armor and I might even let you have a few free shots."

Terra's hands were getting mischievous. They were growing impatient so they began traveling further up into her shorts, up her chilled, porcelain thighs.

The knight's hands gingerly caressed her lower thighs while he spoke to her. His thumbs stroked in small circles and his fingers feathered across the tender flesh of her thighs.

He needed to stop. The whole point of giving her this room was to stop behavior like this from happening. It was innocent enough at that moment but he knew what he wanted it to become. He knew wanted to ravage her. Terra wanted to sling her onto that neatly made bed and do things to her that would make her claw that bed to fucking smithereens. He didn't want one inch of her body unexplored. Her taste needed to fill his mouth, her smell needed to fill his nostrils, and his thermal hide needed to warm her cool skin.

"It's raining," Aqua stated with a chuckle. She was strangely amused by his obliviousness and even the ministrations he was tenderly applying to her milky legs. It was as if she were in a trance, hypnotized, under some kind of spell.

"We could go anyway if you wanted," Terra replied, his hands continuing to honorably fondle her thighs.

"It's cold and I would rather not get sick. I would love to practice though. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," he replied, his voice very gruff and laced with lust.

A chill ran through Aqua's traitorous body when Terra's scalding fingertips traveled a bit further up into her shorts and onto even more sensitive flesh on the inside of her legs.

The Dark Knight felt it. He felt her tremor against his boiling palms and it made his groin twitch. Her body was responding to him and it was enough to drive him wild. She didn't speak or move but the tremor implied that she wanted him-or at least her body did. Terra had been with many women and he knew a chill or a shutter was usually a good sign…but this was Aqua… Normal rules didn't really apply.

Instinctively, Aqua's legs spread a bit. She didn't know why and she couldn't explain it, but his hands felt… _good_. Her mind hazy, she didn't want him to continue but she didn't really want him to stop either…

Her body didn't know what he was going to do next but it wanted it. Her double-crossing body wanted his simmering hands to move upward. Her body knew it would feel even better if they traveled farther in…

The Child of Light had basically given him permission to trek further in, to run his hand all over her extremely responsive inner thighs. Terra's member was almost painfully hard, his throat was unbearably dry, and he was suddenly very thirsty. He was dehydrated and he needed nourishment. He could have her if he truly willed it. He could tell by how she was acting. He could manipulate himself right into her. He wanted her. He  _needed_  her…but he couldn't take her… As badly as he wanted to, he just couldn't…

_No. Stop. Remember yourself. Remember who she is. Remember why you gave her this room. To keep yourself from doing something stupid and you are definitely one bad move away from doing something_ _**really** _ _fucking stupid!_

"We have to go see Vexen later," Terra announced as he watched Aqua's beautiful, blushing face. Casually, his hands traveled back down to her knees as if they had never done anything lewd at all, as if he hadn't been thinking about slipping his fingers into her shorts, as if he hadn't thought about using her body to give his tense muscles the relief they screamed for…

"Really?" Aqua forced herself to respond as she fought the blush that persistently hung on her cheeks.

_What were you thinking? He was just trying to comfort you. Stop making something out of nothing and stop blushing like a virgin…!_ Aqua scolded privately.

"Yeah." The bronze knight tore his hands from her flesh and chivalrously fixed her sash so that it again covered her left leg. "But not for your suppressant or blood tests. You are going to have lessons with him."

Aqua placed a hand on his retreating wrist. "Can we stay here for a bit longer?"

Terra's royal blue eyes went wide. "S-sure."

The female Keyblade wielder walked to her bed and lied on her back and stared at the canopy overhead. When Terra hesitated, she patted the spot next to her.

Without giving it a second thought, Terra obeyed and took the spot next to her and began staring at the ceiling with her.

They began talking about nothing in particular, his day, the room, certain paintings in the room, how she wanted a bookcase for her new living quarters-

A gravelly cough sounded in the opened door leading to Aqua's room.

Terra had left the door open.

The Dark Knight cursed under his breath, jerked into an upright position, and peered into the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Aqua sat up too and watched Terra's unreadable expression, wanting to know why he'd stopped talking to her.

"You are aware that you two are supposed to be with Vexen by now," Xaldin scolded from the doorway, his burly arms placed firmly behind his back.

"I'm aware," Terra answered curtly.

The knight quickly leapt to his feet. He could not get off of that bed quick enough. Terra couldn't imagine what Xaldin was thinking. Xaldin had caught him laughing and having an in depth conversation with the rehabilitation subject.

Terra wished that Xaldin would have walked in on them having sex instead. Somehow, that would have been less degrading. But no, the Elder had caught him having a meaningful discussion with her. He had been careless. Again.

"Get ready, Aqua," Terra instructed firmly, trying to retrieve some shred of his dignity. "I'll wait outside."

Once the knight was in the hallway, he swiftly shut the door behind him.

"Vanitas has been saying that you were madly in love with her, but I didn't want to believe it. I was hoping he was just saying it to get a rise out of you and to make you look unprofessional," Xaldin rebuked with a disappointed shake of his head. "I never would have dreamed that one of our knights would sink so low. How could you let this happen? I thought you were better than this."

Terra remained silent, holding his head down in disgrace.

"What are you doing, Terra?" Xaldin asked tersely.

It was a good question. One that Terra had asked himself thousands of times a day, but he could never find the right answer. Technically, he knew what he was doing. He was showing affection, he was comforting her, he was offering her companionship, he was trying to be everything that she wanted him to be, and he was trying to be what she needed…

"What do you have to gain from being kind to her? From  _bonding_ with her?" the Elder spat. "Wanting her physically is one thing but…do you actually want her… _companionship_? Her respect? Is that why you are doing all this for her? You have given her a room and your spare time. What next? And to what end? Tell me, Terra, I am genuinely curious."

Terra shrugged. He had overstepped his bounds as a caretaker and he knew it. He had no excuse. He was a shameful disgrace and an unprofessional slob that had let a vapid Child of Light shackle his heart.

"What? To love, and be loved in return?" Xaldin mocked cruelly, "How could she love someone she has always regarded as a beast?"

* * *

Throughout Aqua's entire lesson with Vexen, Zexion kept staring at her and scribbling in his book.

She tried to be polite and courteous while reading the required materials at her desk within the laboratory but when he narrowed his eyes at her again for the umpteenth time, she couldn't stand it.

Frustrated, she slammed the book on the desk. "What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Zexion did not answer, he only continued to write untidily within his book.

"Why is _he_ even here?" Aqua flared again and pointed to the gray-haired Seer Sage.

"Do not question us, girl," Vexen hissed, examining his test tubes.

Aqua had no clue of why she was even in this room (if it could even be called a room, it was more like a basement) with these men. They weren't even paying attention to her. Half the time they weren't even in the room. They contiguously dashed in and out of the lab. She could hear them running down the hall another sector of the basement but she had no clue what they were doing. All she knew was that they kept rapidly bringing samples back and forth from room to room. Then they would take notes and sprint back down the hall. She was getting a headache from just watching them.

"Can I leave yet?" the Keyblade wielder asked impatiently, stretching in her elevated chair that sat in front of one of the many white tables of the lab.

"Are you done reading the chapter on hearts and Light extraction?" Vexen questioned smugly as he swirled the chunky, black fluid around in a test tube.

"No…" Aqua reluctantly admitted and slammed her head on the book.

"Then you are not permitted to leave," the Elder answered snidely and scribbled in a notepad.

The book was horrible. It was morbid biology and she hated reading it. The hardback spoke of unholy experiments and bizarre, metaphysical anatomy. The current chapter she was skimming through was about hearts, how susceptible they are, how they contained puzzling, metaphysical components, and how they react to exposure to Darkness or Radiation. So far no human has been able to survive the Radiation process and Aqua wasn't sure why anyone would _want_  someone to survive it.

Human hearts were touched by both Light and Darkness. However, there were a few recorded cases of hearts of pure Light but never a heart of pure Darkness. Because of this, some  _brilliant_ man invented a procedure called Radiation to see if it was possible for a human to live with a heart of pure Darkness. So far, the answer was no.

Aqua was sure the Overlords loved this concept and that was why she was being forced to learn about it now. She was sure if they found someway for people to survive Radiation they would force people like her to undergo the bleak therapy to extinguish the mystical Light within them and bring Children of Light even close to extinction. They might even do it to themselves so they could  _completely_  eclipse themselves.

"Zexion, come with me. I need you to help me inspect this subject," Vexen demanded.

Zexion nodded before following the man out of the room.

Once they were gone, Aqua noticed the seer had left his book on the desk. The instant Vexen and Zexion's footsteps faded, Aqua sprung to her feet and made a mad dash for the book. She spun the book around and began flipping through it, toward the last few pages of the book.

Curiosity had gotten the best of her and she wanted to know what the brat was writing about her.

Zexion's writing was rough and hard to read (probably because he wrote in a possessed frenzy spurred by an assault of visions) but she managed.

As she read, she found nothing of any importance. It wasn't anything she didn't already know until she got to the more recent sections. She skimmed through a section labeled 'Heartless' and noticed a few rough sketches of black beasts with yellow eyes. Some were labeled Shadows, others Soldiers, and more were tagged as Large Bodies.

There were thousands of pages on these monsters and her eyes went wide when she read that they were once people. She realized that this was what happened to those that had managed to survive the Radiation procedure she was reading about… They became the black monsters Zexion had labeled as Heartless… Apparently, people could survive it but if they did, they were no longer people but these monsters…

They had done it. They had gotten individuals to survive the abominable procedure. That was what they were doing down the hall, she was sure of it. They were grooming and creating these beasts in the larger laboratories. The more she read the more she felt like she would vomit. She read until she physically couldn't read anymore so she left the foul section.

The next segment was about…  _her_. At first, it spoke of her becoming a Dark Knight but the pages were scribbled out, torn, and marked through. After that, the book began speaking of her becoming the first of what would be known as a Black Mage. A being who could solely cast superlative black magic…no white magic…no healing…no Cure…no Holy…

Aqua's heart plunged into the bottom of her stomach and she held her hands over her mouth.

_Wait… Wait… What was that I saw on Vexen's desk…? I think I saw some blueprints when I first came in here…_

The panic stricken young woman sprinted to Vexen's desk and began sifting through his messy piles of paperwork.

As she suspected, Zexion's book matched up with Vexen's paperwork. Vexen had blueprints of the Heartless and of the Black Mage…and the Black Mage looked  _just like her…_

Frantically, Aqua flipped through the countless files and pages of her blood work and the surgeries, treatments, and tests they planned on performing on her to transform her into this Black Mage.

The representation of her as a Black Mage was uncanny. It looked exactly like her. There were several different designs. Sometimes, she wore a witch hat and tight, revealing robes. In other layouts, she wore a simple black cloak with blue lining. They were planning on making a standard, a uniform. If she were a success, there would be more Black Mages… _improved_ Black Mages. She was going to be the guinea pig…

Suddenly, she felt very light headed. She shakily tried to put everything back into its original place before the men returned.

Clumsily, Aqua returned to her chair and buried her face in her book and pretended to be focusing on it. Trembling hands held her head upright as her mind swarmed.

The Dark Rule had unmatched brawn. The Dark Knights ensured that. They ruled the world with unmatched and unrivaled strength, but that was not enough for the Overlords. They wanted unmatched sorcery and necromancy as well and if they were going achieve that, they would need this Black Mage. Just as there had to be the first Dark Knight…there would also have to be a first Black Mage…and  _she_  would be that Black Mage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Ah ha! You thought I forgot about the Heartless, didn't you! I didn't, but obviously, they are going to be different in this universe, but that will be addressed more later.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	17. Better Luck Next Time

* * *

_‘Cause it’s too cold_

_For you here and now_

_So let me hold_

_Both your hands in the holes of my sweater_

_\- Sweater Weather, Alyson Stoner & Max Schneider_

* * *

_I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here!_

Finding those blueprints shook Aqua to the point where wanted actually Terra. She wanted him to come get her so she could leave this horrible room. The problem was, she didn't know where he was and she didn't know when he was coming back, but she _did_ know that she couldn't stand being in this room and these foul experiments anymore.

"I'm done," she lied and Aqua _hated_ lying. It was against her nature but that was how bad things had gotten and how badly she wanted to get away from Vexen, Zexion, and the notes in Zexion's book...

"Fine." Vexen scowled and pointed to the door with the silver pen without giving Aqua a second glance. "You are dismissed."

Before Vexen could finish his sentence, Aqua had basically teleported out of the room. She ran down the halls and instantly began searching every nook and cranny for Terra.

_What if he left town? What if he isn't here? He better not have left me here all alone!_

Aqua was about to leave the palace and start searching the town when she crashed into a suit bronze and gold armor.

Bouncing off the protective covering, she almost fell to the ground, but a warm, familiar hand grabbed her forearm and pulled her back to the steel-plated chest.

Automatically, the blue girl buried herself into the cozy embrace she knew would welcome her.

"You're shaking," Terra stated flatly as his arms hung loosely around her. "What's wrong?"

"Y-You have to come with me." Aqua quickly left his compassionate hold and seized one of his arms.

"What have you done?" the knight started to scold as Aqua began hauling him down the narrow hallway toward the isolated, eerie wing of Tarnen that contained the laboratories.

"Nothing!" Aqua whispered and quickly hid both of them behind another passageway.

"What are you—"

Aqua interrupted him by placed one of her hands over his scalding mouth, his lips touching her velvety skin and his scorching breath slithering between her ivory fingers. "Shh!"

Terra rolled his royal blue eyes.

The young woman peaked around the corner and watched as Vexen and Zexion shut the door behind them and lurched down the hallway. Once she was sure they were gone for good, she grabbed Terra's stubborn, reluctant arm and pulled him down the hallway to the unoccupied lab, causing him to groan in frustration.

"You do know I live here and I could just go in if I wanted to. There is no reason for the sneaky shit."

"There is when I found something I wasn't supposed to,” Aqua replied and began sifting through the papers on Vexen’s desk.

"Using your innocence to your advantage?" Terra approached the desk and looked over Aqua's dainty shoulder at the documents she was rummaging through.

He couldn't make out any of the details, but it looked like lots of sketches, designs, blueprints, and diagrams. His eyes squinted and he tried to examine the vellums she was rapidly flipping through.

"Look." The Light Keyblade wielder handed some of the papers to him.

Indifferently, the knight took them and began examining their contents. He was quiet for a long time as he looked through the many pages of notes. Aqua watched intently while Terra's eyes scanned over the many pages of documents and his long tanned fingers flicked through the designs.

"Did you know about this?" 

Terra squinted his navy eyes and shrugged. "Vaguely. The Heartless are Ansem's project but I don't know about your Black Mage stuff."

The Dark Keyblade Master knew Lord Ansem was wanting to make some kind of monster to help knights perform more difficult tasks or something to that effect, but he had no idea they were getting so close to actually making the... _things_.

"You didn't know  _anything_  about the Black Mage project?" Aqua took a confident step towards him.

"Look," Terra sighed heavily, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "I knew they probably wanted to use your magic or something but I didn't know the details."

"Why aren't you surprised by this?" she almost yelled as she snatched the blueprints from Terra's hands.

Terra could understand why she was overwhelmed and shaken up by all of this, but he was raised in this strange world of experiments and projects. Bizarre things like this were a frequent occurrence; a part of life and none of it really surprised him anymore.

"I've lived here my whole life, remember?"

Aqua's eyes dilated and her skin blanched. "Have you had something like this done?"

"Like what?" Terra grumbled, clearly becoming impatient and annoyed.

"Like some kind of experimental procedure!" The Child of Light pointed to Vexen's notes.

"Yeah. I have," the knight replied as if it was an ordinary response to an ordinary question.

"What did they do to you?"

"Oh, you know, this and that," Terra replied vaguely as he casually roamed the room, inspecting the many test tubes and vials in the blindingly white room.

Aqua huffed and blew her bangs out of her face. She hated when Terra was vague with her. It was a simple question. Why couldn't he just answer her?.

"I think I deserve more of an answer than that. If I am going to undergo a procedure to become a _'Black Mage'_ , I think I have the right to know what I'll have to go through." 

"You will probably undergo something completely different." He doubted telling her about his… _medical history_ would give her any insight or peace of mind.

"I don't care. I want to know what they do to Dark Knights," Aqua hissed and tapped her slender fingers impatiently on her folded arms.

"Nothing major. We are just injected with Darkness." Terra casually inspected a vial full of thick, blackened fluid.

"Like what they do to make Heartless? Like Radiation?"

"No. It isn't like that," the Dark Knight mumbled. "It is a physical injection, kind of like your magic suppressant."

"How can they inject someone with Darkness?" Aqua shook her head in disbelief.

"They make a solution of organic compounds. The solution contains hormones, vitamins, and alkaloids. After the solution is made, they cast Dark on it." Terra summoned the arcane magic in the palm of his hand for emphasis. "They cast Dark until the solution completely absorbs the element of Darkness."

Sky blue eyes watched the cryptic component swirl around Terra's big hand. Deep hues of black, indigo, and violet spiraled around Terra's fingers and licked up his wrist. The savage element did not harm him and he didn't flinch when it caressed his hand and flared off his fingertips. 

"After that, it is put into an intravenous drip feed. They insert the IV into the subject's arm and then they wait until the entire dosage has been injected into the individual's bloodstream. If they survive, they are able to continue their Dark Knight training." Terra closed his hand, causing the mysterious conjuring to disperse. Darkness puffed between his fingers before it completely vanished.

"What do you mean, _‘if they survive’_?" Aqua squeaked and looked up into Terra's dark eyes.

"It is another way of weeding out the weak. Only the strong survive the treatment and only the strong are allowed to be Dark Knights."

"How old were you when you had to go through the treatment?"

Terra squinted and looked at the ceiling in contemplation. "Hmmm…twelve…or thirteen…?"

"That is really young to undergo something like that," Aqua stated bluntly. She didn't care if he didn't like her reply. It was true.

"Hey, the dosage was reduced by the time I got it so, technically, it was easier to survive by the time I got the treatment. Vanitas got the larger amount. He was one of the guinea pigs. Dark Knights didn't use to get any form of treatment. It wasn't something that was required until we started training.”

"Maybe that is what is wrong with him," the blue-haired girl said under her breath.

Terra chuckled darkly. "Maybe it is what is wrong with all of us."

"That's not funny," Aqua scolded gently. "Why did you even have to have it? What’s the point?"

"It is basically a steroid. It enhances performance and allowed us to call forth Darkness at will if we had not already gained the ability to. Roxas- even though he is a servant of Darkness-couldn't cast Dark or any variation of it until he had the procedure," Terra said indifferently.

"Could you?" she asked out of pure curiosity even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Of course," the Dark Knight replied with an arrogant smirk.

"I don't think my procedure will be that easy…" Aqua said desolately.

"Probably not. They are probably going to do something that will restructure your necromancy. They will have to do something pretty drastic to completely remove your ability to use white magic. Not to mention what they will have to give you to enhance the magic you already posses, but don't worry. They wouldn't waste their time on you if they didn't think you could survive it."

"Thanks. That makes me feel _all better_ ," Aqua grumbled sarcastically and threw the paperwork at Terra's head.

"Don't worry about it. They probably don't even have the procedure ready yet. It will take a while for them to come up with the ideal procedure to get the results they want. But just think of how amazing you will be! You realize that you will be able to cast magic like Ultima?" Terra stated in awe.

"I'm thrilled," Aqua griped snidely. "Can we go now?"

“Sure. I’ll walk you to your room.” Terra rearranged the files and pages, trying to put everything back in its original place.

Suddenly, Aqua was wondering why she brought him here in the first place. Maybe she was hoping he would be as shocked as she was. Maybe she wanted him to be appalled and concerned for her. Maybe she wanted him to protect her. She wasn't sure of exactly what it was she had been wanting from him but she knew that she didn't want him to be excited.

* * *

Terra was on patrol in the Dark Capital. It was the Overlords polite way of saying he had the day off and to wait around while Aqua had her lesson.

He stood in one of the shadowed corners of the Town Square and surveyed the area emotionlessly while time slowly ticked away. With his arms crossed tightly over his sturdy chest, his midnight blue eyes bore through the metal of his helmet and observed citizens purchase goods at stores while children and teenagers played and slurped on sea salt ice cream.

The Dark Knight was bored and he was getting anxious. Axel and Roxas were out-of-town and he wasn't in the mood to hang out with Saïx or Demyx and he  _definitely_  wasn't in the mood to deal with Larxene or Vanitas.

_I need new friends. Maybe I should have stayed with Aqua and Marluxia—at least I would have been somewhat amused there. I could watch Aqua…_

Since Aqua wasn’t living in his room anymore, he didn’t get to see her as much.

He missed her.

She was becoming more and more independent and he didn't have to force her to go to her lessons that much anymore. Sometimes, she would complain and sometimes, she would refuse to go, but she was  _a lot_  more compliant. He knew it wouldn't be long before she started going on her own and she wouldn't need him at all anymore.

Terra wasn't sure what he would do when that happened… He supposed he would go back to being an active Captain of the Dark Knights and he would conduct Purges as he had before Aqua came into his life. He would try to conform to his former routine again although things were nothing like they had been. Things could never truly go back to the way they were... 

_"What are you doing out here by yourself?"_

Terra tensed and saw Vanitas slowly approaching him. "Shouldn't the white witch be with you?" 

"I think I am about to leave town for a bit," Terra replied, deadpan, "And why would she be with me? Everyone knows she basically takes care of herself now."

It was true. Almost everyone accepted her and some of the Elders didn't even wait for Terra to come get her after her lessons. Half the time they would dismiss her on their own then Terra would have to go and track her down.

"You don't know who is here, do you?" There was way too much amusement in Vanitas’s gravely voice. His tone made the bronze knight's nerves bristle.

"No?" Terra inquired, uncrossing his arms and prying himself off the wall he was leaning against.

"Fuck, I knew you were slipping but I didn't think you had gotten this dense," the golden-eyed young man sneered and rubbed the top of his helmet as if he were rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"What are you talking about, Vanitas?"

"DiZ is in town," Vanitas revealed with a devilish smile radiating within his sleek, colorless helmet, eager venom dripping from his canines.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Terra sprinted to the Palace of Retribution as if his life depended on it.

He had to find her and he had to find her fast. If she learned that DiZ was in Hollow Bastion or if Diz found her, it would be utter chaos and there would be serious consequences. 

DiZ was supposedly neutral, but Terra was positive the man would aid Aqua. The chancellor of Naefre would attempt to put an end to the rehabilitation and possibly even revoke neutral status if he discovered the innocent girl dwelling within the Dark Capital against her will.

Aqua knew DiZ well. She had told Terra that on multiple occasions and he knew Aqua would make a break for it if she knew DiZ was in the city. She would seek his help in order to escape.

The Child of Light might have everyone else fooled with her compliance, but Terra knew that a rebellious fire still burned within her. They didn't know her like he did. They didn't understand her as he did. They didn't see the longing in her detached eyes when she looked to the horizon or the envy she held for birds and their ability to fly away.

The Dark Knight barged into the Palace of Retribution and barreled into Marluxia's small study. His eyes darted around the room and panic surged inside of Terra's bulging veins when his eyes did not locate a girl with blue hair.

_That fucker dismissed her!_

The seer was ignoring him. Marluxia sat at his desk and wrote elegantly on a creamy piece of parchment.

Terra's blood boiled. He knew the Seer Sage heard him barge in and he knew the seer knew that he wanted Aqua.

Marluxia was fucking with him.

Forcefully, the Dark Knight slammed his gauntleted hands onto the desk. The blow was so hard and so swift, for a moment, Terra thought the desk might actually break. Wood splintered and cracked under the knight's monstrous strength.

"Where is she?" Terra roared, his steel-plated fingers digging into the mahogany surface of Marluxia's desk.

Marluxia's eyes didn’t rise and he didn’t stop his calligraphy. "That is none of my concern."

"Lightdamn it, Marluxia! Just tell me where she is!" Terra bellowed, his enraged voice echoing throughout the entire building.

Terra had to find her. She couldn't escape. She couldn't find DiZ. She couldn't get away. She couldn't even _try_ to get away! They would both reap the dire consequences of her escape or even an _attempted_ escape.

"There is no reason to yell, Terra," the Seer Sage replied coolly, suavely.

That did it. That set him off. Terra effortlessly hurled the desk across the room and grabbed the pink neckerchief that was wrapped around Marluxia's throat.

" _Tell me_!"

"Terra, your temper will be the death of you," Marluxia hissed forebodingly as his cavernous eyes narrowed.

It was a threat or maybe even a prediction, but Terra didn't care. At that moment, his supposed future demise wasn’t important. All that mattered to him was finding Aqua.

"I am ten seconds away from strangling you to death with your stupid, fucking, pink scarf! You don't even have to use your blasphemous powers! I have predicted your future for you! I _will_ choke the life out of you if you don't tell me where she is!" With each threat he uttered Terra could feel Marluxia digging into his brain with his scythe and it was causing him immense amounts of physical suffering but the seer underestimated him. Terra was trained to endure endless amounts of agonizing pain. This wouldn’t best him. He would resist at all costs.

The knight shifted behind the seer and he began coiling the pale red neckerchief around Marluxia's tense neck. Terra tightened the manmade noose around the Seer Sages throat just enough to cut off the circulation, but left it loose enough so the man could speak if he chose to.

The torture taking place inside Terra's head intensified and Marluxia began clawing at his remorseless hands.

"Go ahead! Mind fuck me all you want!" Terra voice was ominous and deadly as he tightened the scarf's around seer's neck. "I can withstand the pain until you stop breathing!"

Terra wasn't bluffing and Marluxia knew it. The knight could easily withstand the pain until he died and Marluxia knew he was just crazy enough to kill him and not give it a second thought until he got in trouble for it later.

"She... She is probably in the gardens," the salmon-haired seer rasped. "She usually goes there after our lessons. We finished early, so I let her go."

The instant Marluxia gave Terra what he wanted, the strangulation ceased and the Dark Knight bolted out of the room.

* * *

Blood gushed from Terra's nose as he ran to the gardens. His head was in absolute anguish. His temples throbbed and blood spurted from his flared nostrils with each stride he took.

Even though Terra tolerated the aggressive violation of his brain, his body was still suffering the consequences of withstanding the intense assault. He was sure his brain was actually hemorrhaging. He would have to heal himself at some point. 

 _Fucking seer almost killed me,_ Terra mentally cursed the seer before he removed his helmet and wiped the scarlet fluid that continued to leak from his nose.

As he wiped his nose and tried to stop his nose bleed, he found her.

Aqua was sitting upon a fountain within the spacious garden and was tracing her fingers along the water’s chilled surface. Slender, ivory fingers slid across the lily pads that lazily floated within the fountain.

The Child of Light’s head rose and she peered across the garden at him. A smile blossomed across her face at the sight of him, but the twinkle quickly faded the instant she saw the blood on his face and the uneasy look plastered across his hard features.

His body language was rigid, strained, and indignant. Something was wrong.

Rapidly, she leapt to her feet and ran to him.

"Terra, you're bleeding." Aqua pulled her sweater's sleeve down over her hand and used it to gently wipe the gathering vital fluid off his unreadable face.

Terra sniffed and tried to reel some of the oozing fluid back into his draining cranium. Instinctively, he twitched and jerked when she touched his throbbing, sensitive head.

"Hold still." she chastised softly, holding his still face with one hand and rubbing the blood off with the lowered sleeve on the other.

Relief washed over Terra as Aqua nurtured him. Subtly, he leaned into her refreshing touch.

Her cool hand rested on his flushed cheek and her scent flowed into his bloody nose while she held her sweater's soft sleeve to his hemorrhaging snout.

It amazed him that she didn't mind that his foul blood was getting on her hands and coating her sleeve. The girl's maternal instincts were unmatched. No one ever cared or worried about him the way she did. He knew she hated him, but she still put his wellbeing above her loathing.

"It's just a nose bleed," Terra grumbled.

"Yeah. I’m sure Marluxia had  _nothing_ to do with this," Aqua stated sarcastically before gingerly removing the cuff of her sleeve from Terra's nose and inspecting him. Carefully, she checked his ears and brushed his hair off his temples to make sure he wasn't bleeding anywhere else. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Terra tensed, his teeth grinding against each other in irritation within his blood filled mouth.

He hated how clever she was. She didn't miss a thing.

"N-Nothing. I just… I just wanted to find out where you were…"

"Don't lie to me, Terra," Aqua countered. "I’m not stupid. Why were you running out here like something was wrong?”

"I couldn't find you and I wanted us to head back," he lied before he spat some of the coppery blood out of his mouth.

Aqua observed Terra closely. His eyes were wild and shifty, his body was shaky and twitchy, and he was so tense she was sure his armor was struggling to stay on his body. There was more to this than he was telling her. 

"Okay then, what did you do to Marluxia to make him—" Aqua made a circular motioned at his head, struggling to find the right words.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go. I have a headache." Terra grabbed her forearm and began roughly tugging her to the Central Square.

Something was definitely wrong. Terra hadn't yanked her anywhere like this is months. She couldn't remember the last time he had treated her like this, but she let him do it anyway. Aqua didn't feel like fighting with him and honestly, his current mood frightened her a bit. It reminded her of how he used to treat her…

Aqua withstood the forceful tugging for a while, but quickly found she couldn’t stand it. She thought she could tolerate it, but she couldn't. His grip was bitter and rough and it hurt. He was quiet and irate and she had to figure out what was wrong with him. 

"Stop it!" Aqua snatched her arm from him and backed away. "What is going on? Why are you so eager to get me back to the palace?"

Terra watched her cobalt eyes swirl with suspicion and skepticism as she stubbornly glared at him.

_"The governor of Naefre is here for some negotiations with the Overlords. It's his airship that is waiting outside the Outer Gardens. It is not an Opposition ship. There is no need to worry. I am sure he is leaving soon."_

Aqua’s heart dropped and she turned to see the source of the words she heard resonating nearby. The statement apparently came from the throat of a guard who was trying to console an elderly woman nearby.

 _Did that guard just say the governor of Naefre?_ She mused.

Realization hit her like a slap in the face. Instantly, she knew what was wrong. DiZ was in the Dark Capital. Terra was trying to keep her away from DiZ. He was trying to keep her from escaping, from being rescued. He knew... He knew DiZ was here!

The knight could see the understanding in her eyes. If he had time, he would have killed that guard for talking so loudly but he didn’t. Everything in Aqua’s cerulean eyes screamed she was about to do something drastic. She was going to run just like she had in Amur. Her eyes shone with feral determination and unwavering resolve.

"Don't…" Terra held his hand out as if it would calm or stop her.

Aqua didn't speak as she began to hesitantly back away from him.

This was it. She might not get another chance. This may be her only opportunity to get help. She needed to try. She had to try. She could either make a run for it or she could stay here and become the Overlord's pet, their Black Mage.

When Terra took a step toward her, Aqua used every ounce of her strength to summon a huge, thick wall of Blizzaga between them. The moment it was up, she took off.

"Fuck!" Terra roared as his temper flared and his body temperature rose to unnatural levels.

Dark Firaga consumed his body and he charged through the seemingly impenetrable wall of ice. Shards of ice scattered and sparkled like crystal when the afternoon sun gleamed through them. The frozen liquid that had latched onto Terra's heated body quickly melted, turned to steam, or rolled off his scalding armor.

The Light Keyblade wielder was frantic. She had no plan but she knew that she couldn't let Terra catch her. She had to find DiZ. If she found DiZ, she would have some form of assistance and someone on her side, but she didn't know where he was.

 _That guard said DiZ's airship was by the Outer Gardens. I have to get to the Outer Gardens,_ Aqua thought, running as fast as she possibly could between the homes that slept within the Central Square.

Aqua knew that she was going back toward the Castle Town but that was her intention. It would be easier to lose Terra within the narrow passageways the cottage like homes and establishments created. She intentionally ran in circles and in illogical patterns to throw off any pursuers, especially Terra.

She could hear the unholy clanking of his armor. She could almost feel his scorching breath creeping up the back of her neck. He felt much closer than he actually was.

Aqua's heart had never pounded so hard within her chest. She hadn't been this terrified since the last time Terra had chased her through a town.

_I won't get caught this time. I can't. I know Hollow Bastion's layout more than I knew Amur's. It will be different this time…_

The Child of Light froze countless guards to building sides as untamable, ferocious diamond dust smothered her body.

Her magic was off, wild. Once she fully released her pent-up magic and her adrenaline helped her fight the remaining magic suppressant, she could hardly control her abilities. They seemed to control her instead. Briefly, she wondered if there was something else in the shot Vexen gave her each month. Were they already grooming her to become their mage? 

She wanted to stop. She knew she was probably leaving a trail of ice for Terra to follow but everything about her magic was savage and uncontrollable. The floodgates had been released.

Aqua made her way back to the Central Square and she hurtled through countless amounts of people and guards. Her heart stopped when she saw Vanitas's armor shining within the crowd. He didn't seem to see her, but she didn't stop running.

As she bolted through the multitude, she desperately wished she were a brunette or a blonde. It would be much easier for her to hide if she didn't have such distinct features to follow.

Slowly, it began to occur to her that the infernal clanking of Terra's armor had faded. It was not as close or as thunderous, but she still couldn't let her guard down. If Terra caught her, it would be over.

Lungs burned, nerves sizzled, muscles throbbed, and blood pumped as she ran. It was getting harder for her to fend off the magic suppressant. The floodgates had been released, but she was running out of water. The torrent of liquid was turning into a feeble stream.

Her esophagus was on fire. The harsh chill of late autumn made it harder to run for long periods of time and the fact that she got little to no exercise within Hollow Bastion’s walls didn’t help either.

The frigid air swarmed down her raw throat and prickled into her lungs. Every swallow and every breath was gradually becoming utter torment. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take much more.

Somewhere along the way, Aqua's plan had changed. She was no longer trying to outsmart Terra. Now, she was merely trying to find DiZ before the Dark Knight had the chance stop her. All she had to do was get DiZ's attention. That was her goal.

Terra was gaining again and Aqua didn't know how long she could keep running and fending off the hoards of guards that continually tried to stop her. They were using up the magic she needed to be saving for Terra if he got too close, but she couldn’t help it. She had to do what she had to do. Aqua was hopelessly outnumbered and it was suddenly brutally clear why she had never tried to run away before.

She could hear Terra again. She could hear him barking orders. She could hear his fury and his frustration in every single syllable even though she couldn't decipher his words.

He was angry, he was very angry. Terra wasn't chasing her anymore, the Dark Knight was and if he caught her…

_No. Stop thinking about him! Stop thinking about the differences between them! It doesn't matter! He is the same person! There isn't a difference! Terra is the Dark Knight! He is the savage! He is the man who put those scars on your wrists and you know he would do it again if he had to!_

As Aqua ran through the entryway that led to the Outer Gardens, she continued to fight her confusing, conflicting thoughts and she was becoming more and more frustrated with herself. This was not the time to be having a complicated and contradictory inner dispute about Terra. She didn't need to be thinking about that. She didn't need to be thinking about him being a person or how she might miss him if she got away.

Cobalt eyes gazed down at the drying blood on her sleeve. It mattered. She would be lying if she said that it didn't. Terra mattered. In some weird, unorthodox way that she would never understand, he mattered, but it didn't change anything. It didn't change the fact that she had to get out of Hollow Bastion and away from him. They were enemies and the only reason she tolerated him and had some form of relationship with him was because she had been forced to. She didn't have a choice…

Her mind stopped racing the instant she reached the Outer Gardens. Graceful feet flew over the lavender cobblestone and she could see him. She could faintly see DiZ in the distance, but he was about to board his airship.

Before Aqua could scream for him or one of his guards, a huge slab of earth erupted from the ground and tripped her.

A faint cry sprung from her singed throat as she tumbled forward, the inertia causing her to roll and flip all over the jagged ground.

Aqua grunted and groaned as her body flailed uncontrollably across the sharp edges of the cobblestone.

When her body finally stopped moving, Terra was on top of her, trying to pin her to the outdoor flooring.

Reflexively, she kicked at him and shot icy daggers into his armor.

The knight wailed and Aqua rolled out from under him. She frantically crawled away but he seized her ankle and aggressively hauled her back to the ground.

The young woman shrieked and desperately clawed at the ground in front of her as she was drug back toward the knight that was now foaming at the mouth.

Spinning around, Aqua used her free leg to kick Terra right across his face, allowing her enough time to successfully rise to her feet.

She didn't know how bad she had hurt Terra, but she didn't really care. He could heal himself. Getting to DiZ was her priority, not seeing if Terra was hurt or not. 

"DiZ!" the Keyblade wielder cried but she was too far away. No one could hear her.

Aqua managed to reach the fountain that sat near the center of the garden. It was the fountain she had wandered to the night of the Fall Banquet when she left the party. Where _he_  had found her after Larxene and her friends had spoken badly of her... Where she had first joked around with  _him._..

Her mind wasn't able to wander anymore. Terra had once again tackled her to the unforgiving ground, but Aqua wasn't having it. She fought his hands as they wrestled with one another on top of the moss-covered cobblestone.

He was easily stronger than her, but she kept trying to maneuver out of his bitter clutches, but she was getting really tired. Her magic was all but used up and her arms and legs were turning into jelly as a result. She had overexerted herself…

They didn’t speak as they struggled on the mossy surface beside the fountain. Aqua didn't yell at him and he didn't yell at her. She would grunt and whimper in vexation but Terra was deadly silent as he tried to conquer her.

With the last of her strength Aqua used a weak Glacier spell to shove Terra off her.

The Child of Light managed to get to her feet yet again. Once there, her vision began to blur but she could still see DiZ about to board the ship. She took a weak, wobbly step toward the blackened gates that separated her from DiZ. The gates were far away and she was very weak and suddenly very dizzy but--

Terra's hand enveloped her wrist and forcefully reeled her back toward him.

Just as Aqua was about to scream, Terra roughly grabbed both of Aqua's shoulders and brutally slammed her back into one of the pillars that decorated the corners of the extravagant fountain.

Bright, sky blue eyes went wide as all the air inside Aqua's lungs made a fierce retreat. She gasped for air that simply refused to go into her lungs while the scratchy, barbed texture of the column dug into her back, tearing and ripping her ivory skin apart. Her ribs splintered and her lungs deflated as Terra continued to push the rocky surface of the pillar into her back.

A gruff hand clasped over her quivering mouth to keep her from calling anymore attention to herself. The Dark Knight knew she would scream for DiZ the instant the air returned to her lungs and the initial pain he caused subsided.

As DiZ skeptically looked through the thin, ebony bars of the gate, Terra deliberately hid Aqua behind the pillar. The knight was sure the bizarre man had faintly heard Aqua call his name, but it wasn't enough to make the man suspicious enough to reenter the city. If Terra hid Aqua and kept her from making any more noise, DiZ would leave and this horrible, catastrophic incident would finally end.

Aqua couldn't move anymore. She was seeing stars and she couldn't breathe properly. Her nerve endings were on fire, and her body was numb from strain and the pain surging through her entire back and ribs. The only thing she could do was listen to her only hope of escape leave.

DiZ was so close, his airship was so close, but she couldn't get to either. Terra had made sure of that.

The Dark Knight glared at the airship, firmly holding Aqua's mouth shut and pressing her to the rocky monument. He cast his gaze to her face as the ship began its takeoff. She closed her eyes, listening to hum of the ship's engine slowly fade as anguish, defeat, and hopelessness began choking her.

Once the airship was far enough away, Terra released her.

Dazed, Aqua slid down the stone pillar, took a few hastened steps away from Terra, and crumpled to the ground.

For a long time, he stood there breathless as Aqua sat on the ground stunned, defeated, and shaken up. 

"Get up," he finally spat, wiping the blood from his mouth. 

He would have to take her to the Overlords now. Normally, he would have pretended that this never happened but there had been too many witnesses and unfortunately, Vanitas was one of those witnesses.

The Dark Overlords and the Court would have to be informed that she tried to escape, but she didn't get up. Whimpering, she shook her head and continued to stubbornly hold her crumpled position on the ground. 

"Get up," he repeated a bit more sternly, taking a step toward her. 

Aqua ignored him. She saw no point in getting up. She knew if she did, she would be taken to the Overlords for her escape attempt. Why would she willingly go to her trial? Why would she go just to hear them say that she was to be executed? She’d rather Terra just be merciful and kill her right there so she wouldn’t have to face those monsters…

Terra bent down and hooked his hand around her elbow only to have her harshly yank her arm away from his deplorable grip.

"Damn it, Aqua, get up!" The knight grabbed her by her arms, but before he could lift her to her feet, she jerked away from him again and started crawling in the opposite direction.

"Stop running from me!" 

" _No!"_ Aqua screamed at the top of her lungs, her dirt-covered face lifting so she could glare daggers at him. Her eyes were wild and full of hurt, her hair latching to the sweat, blood, and grime on her face.

"As long as I am trapped here, I will never stop trying to get out!" Aqua screeched, breaking down on the lavender cobblestone beneath her. "And if that means running from you then, I'll run forever! As long as there is a breath left in my body, I will strive against this! I won't stop!" she proclaimed feverishly as she backed away from the man who had once again harmed her.

Terra was harshly reminded that this was why they could never truly be together. This was why their relationship could never work. When it came down to it, they were enemies. It didn't matter what happened in between their fights in the end, chaos and conflict would be the only result. Their moments of peace and contentment could not change the fact that they were on completely different sides of the spectrum. At the end of the day, she hated him and he was just as much her foe as she was his.

" _Stop it_!" the Dark Knight roared. "I am about to grab you by the nape of your hair and drag you to the Overlords myself! I said, ‘ _get up’_!"

It wasn't an option anymore. Terra hauled Aqua up by her waist, grabbed her wrist, and began yanking her to the Palace of Retribution.

She didn't fight him this time. She was too tired and she knew she no longer had the choice. He would carry her to them if he had to, and judging by the pain and intense dizziness she felt, he could very well have to anyway. 

"How could you be so fucking stupid?" he mumbled as she struggled to keep up with his brisk, irate pace. 

Before she could answer, they stumbled upon Vanitas waiting for them in the Central Square.

"Did you get her?" Vanitas asked casually, resting his elbows on one of the store windows.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping," Terra growled.

Vanitas had seen Aqua make a break for it, but he made no effort to help. Terra was sure the Vanitas probably _wanted_ her to get away or get really close to it. The more she did, the harsher her sentence would be and the harsher Terra's punishment would be. He knew Vanitas would thoroughly enjoy both. He knew his foster brother wanted Aqua dead and him miserable.

"Didn't make it, did you, bluebird?" the crimson warrior asked deviously. "Oh, well. Better luck next time."

* * *

"Wait here." Terra pointed to a bench within the oversized foyer.

They were outside the Round Room within the Palace of Retribution. The Round Room was where the Court met to hold trials and important discussions. The Court had been summoned and a meeting was about to be held to discuss Aqua's latest impudent endeavor.

"I'll come get you if you are wanted. I will try to keep you out of it and I'll see if this can be handled without a trial," he continued vacantly but didn't look at her. "I'll do all that I can. I promise."

Aqua nodded impassively and Terra disappeared into the Round Room, his armor clanking and his cape rustling as he went.

She knew it would come to this if her escape attempt was unsuccessful and she was willing to accept that. She would take her sentencing honorably and with grace. It was what the Master would want her to do. 

 _I tried. No one can say I didn't try…_ she thought before closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around aching ribs. Oh, how she wished she were able to heal herself…

The Light Keyblade wielder did her best to rest on the bench but she couldn’t rest her aching back on the wall. It hurt too much.

Her sweater was ruined and covered in grime and blood. The fabric that had once made up the back of the garment was ripped to shreds by the rugged column Terra had slammed her into. Given how much pain she was in, she didn't want to know how bad her back looked. She didn't want to see her mangled flesh or the intense lacerations and gashes that surely covered her mutilated vertebral column.

As she sat obediently on the bench, she could hear the bone-chilling murmur of the Court. It was unnerving knowing they were talking about her, knowing they were discussing how she should or shouldn't be executed...

Once she couldn’t stand listening to the unholy voices anymore, she stood and began pacing around the blackened hallway with crimson carpet.

To distract herself and to pass the time, Aqua counted the suits of armor. Then, she started counting the number of Dark Realm tapestries draped throughout the passageway. After that, she planned on counting the ruby columns that supported the enormous corridor-

_"Terra is going to execute you."_

Larxene emerged from behind one of the many support beams within the foyer. She crossed her arms and leaned on the pillar then, inspected her nails with an absolutely delighted look on her face.

The Seer Sage was in one of her typical haute couture dresses. Her sleek, chin length hair hung flawlessly around her stunning face while the tight black dress with gray lightening bolts around her ribs and bust clung to her womanly figure.

Aqua couldn't help but notice the contrast between herself and the sophisticated Seer Sage. While she was in a torn sweater covered in blood and filth, Larxene looked as if she was about to attend a fancy banquet.

"Really. He is." Larxene’s voice was toxic as her unfriendly jade eyes left her sharp nails to dive into Aqua's orbs of blue.

"Shut up, Larxene." The Child of Light countered coldly before walking further into the hallway to get away from the seeress.

"You tried to escape. It's over, bluebird. It's time to clip your wings so you will never fly again, and I'm going to watch Terra do it." A diabolical smile bloomed across Larxene's pink lips.

"Terra wouldn’t do that to me," Aqua challenged confidently.

"Oh, he would if the Court demanded it. And _they will_."

The instant the velvety threat left the female seer's spiteful mouth, Larxene's hands latched onto Aqua's temples.

All at once Aqua was being electrocuted from the inside out. Sapphire eyes closed and visions started to cram into her unsuspecting brain.

She could see what Larxene had seen. She saw an unfeeling Terra crushing her to death with gigantic chunks of earth. She saw him stabbing her through the heart with his Keyblade. She saw him shooting a sharp, long rock into her stomach. She saw herself being burned at the stake by Dark Firaga while Terra watched her with emotionless eyes, his arms folded over his powerful chest.

" _Get out of my head_!" Aqua shouted and desperately tried to remove the claws that were burrowing her temples.

The Light Keyblade wielder was convulsing as the electric current rolled through her. Her eyes felt as if they were melting. She knew that they were turning to mush and would slowly pour from her empty eye sockets the instant she dared to open her eyelids.

Porcelain fingers scratched at the seer's dangerous but dainty hands. Aqua had managed to keep the seeress from shoving another haunting vision into her head, but she couldn't get the electrical assault to cease no matter how hard she tried to free herself of Larxene's grip. 

"Running is strictly forbidden," Larxene’s claw-like nails carved holes into the sides of Aqua's distressed head. "You have behaved so far but it won't do you any good now."

Aqua thrashed and pushed at the seeress, but Larxene wouldn't budge. The Keyblade wielder continued to shake uncontrollably as her body kept channeling the immoral lightning Larxene propelled into every cell of her body.

"You broke the one rule you were forbidden to break." Larxene wretched her electric claws from Aqua's temples and finally let the Child of Light reel backwards. "Terra can't save you from this."


	18. Prince of Nothing Charming

"Xehanort, can we please put an end to this nonsense?" Ansem spat, his strong voice booming off the charcoal colored walls of the Round Room.

"We must think of all the elements, Ansem," Lord Xehanort replied calmly while his willowy fingers wiggled upon his armrest

Terra couldn't believe how well Xehanort was taking the news of Aqua's escape attempt. He was the one who told her that she would instantly be disposed of if she turned out to me more trouble than she was worth.

"I don't see the point. Why deal with an unbreakable chocobo?" Lexeaus hissed, his mouth tightening into a discontented scowl.

The discussion had gone in circles like that for _hours_. Terra didn't know how long they had been in there, but he _did_ know it had been a _really_ long time. He hadn't moved since he entered the Round Room. He stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the Elders and Overlord’s raised chairs where he had been verbally ripped apart for hours before they even _mentioned_ Aqua. Terra wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to and his opinion was invalid. The few times he had tried to speak up his ‘worthless’ life had been threatened.

"Just command Terra to execute her and let us be done with this!" Lexeaus continued, clearly tired of sitting within the Round Room for such a prolonged period of time.

"No!" Vexen exclaimed, his brow wriggling frantically. " I refuse to let you brutes throw away a perfectly good test subject! I have done too much blood work and I have customized the Black Mage Project _specifically_ for her! It took us ages to find a specimen that could survive the procedure and I refuse to start over from scratch after all my hard work!"

"There can be other subjects!" Xaldin slammed his clenched fist on his armrest. "More obedient ones that don't seduce our knights! I am sick and tired of watching Terra's mind gradually turn to mush and I am _really_ sick of watching him follow her around like a lovesick puppy. I’ve had enough of it!"

Terra absolutely _loved_ how they spoke as if he wasn't in the room. He couldn’t keep his royal blue eyes from rolling.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Xigbar chimed in, lazily slinging one of his lanky legs over his chair's arm." Terra isn't the first one to get hung up on a Child of Light. Isn't that right, Luxord?" He sneered at Luxord.

The Dark Knight's eyes went wide at that statement and followed Xigbar’s gaze to Luxord.

Luxord sat emotionlessly with his arms crossed over his chest, ignoring his fellow Elder's teasing.

Terra could vaguely remember Luxord having a relationship with a former Seer Sage when he was just a child but his memory was fuzzy and he couldn't recall said woman being a Child of Light… He remembered her looking after them as children, especially Larxene but she left shortly after he began Dark Knight training… 

"Enough!" Xehanort finally snapped.

The room fell silent when the monarch's gruff voice reverberated off the towering gray walls of stone.

"All personal biases and Terra's unappealing tendencies aside, the real question we have to consider is if she is more trouble than she is worth. That is what all of this boils down to." The bald sovereign placed his hands under his chin.

"So, Terra." Xemnas leaned forward in his seat. "Before you are dismissed and we discuss your slut's demise, do you want to tell us why you think she should be spared? I am assuming you want her to live."

Terra was taken back. He didn't think his opinion would matter… It probably didn't. The Court just wanted to know his opinion for their own personal amusement.

"I…" he began and he found that he wasn't sure how to continue. "I-I don't think she should be executed… I—"

"Why? Because you love her?" Lord Ansem interrupted contemptibly. "Do you honestly think she could love you? Even if we _did_ let her live, she would never love you. Any affection she would give you would be deception and guile! Light whores are not capable of loving those blighted by Darkness! Use your head, you fool!"

Once Ansem finished, Terra swallowed thickly, took a deep breath to calm himself, and tried to speak again.

"I have spent too much time breaking her. We all have. We have put forth so much effort into rehabilitating her and I think it would be a complete and total waste to throw away that much effort over one incident that I take full responsibility for. We all know how talented she is. I will be the first to admit that I have gotten too involved with her. I have acted unprofessionally and I have been careless. I went too far and I cannot change what has been done nor can I change how I feel about her, but even if I hadn't gone too far, even if I didn't care for her on a personal level, I would still insist that she be spared."

"Do you have that much confidence in her?" Xemnas inquired, his voice entwined with intrigue and skepticism.

"I do. I think she holds immense potential," Terra answered passionately yet honestly. "I also think that she wouldn't dare try to escape again after today. She is a fast learner, as all of you know. I think this may be the wake up call she needs to frighten her into complete submission."

He wasn't lying. He had seen the terror in her eyes and he had felt that terror with her. Aqua wasn’t stupid. If they let her live, she would know that next time she wouldn't be given any mercy and he would be forced to kill her.

"Leave us." Lord Xehanort waved his crinkled hand dismissively. "And tell the guards to bring in the Seer Sages."

_Of course, of course, they want to bring in the seers… I'm sorry, Aqua…_

Reluctantly, Terra bowed and exited the Round Room.

* * *

"You want to spare her," Ansem hissed knowingly without looking at anyone in particular yet Xehanort knew he was speaking to him.

"Perhaps. We need to consult with the seers before any permanent decisions are made," Xehanort answered while stroking his beard.

"You rely too heavily on the seers," Luxord flared. "You are getting greedy, Xehanort. You jeopardize us all with your stingy needs. One day your greed will be our undoing. I am sure of it."

"Watch your tongue, Luxord," Xehanort replied darkly. "This incident with Aqua has brought forth unpleasant emotions and memories for you. I understand that and that is why I am willing to ignore that treacherous statement."

"Execute her. Save Terra the trouble and the heartache. If not for him, do it for the rest of us. Trust me, that girl is bad news," Luxord snapped bitterly.

"Oh, Luxord, just because you couldn't keep your poppet as long as you wanted to doesn't mean that Terra can't keep his and enjoy her while he can," Xigbar taunted, enjoying the drama. "You know your fling with Mona was fun while it lasted."

"Aqua isn't like Mona," Xaldin challenged. "She is much more spirited and way more dangerous. You are all forgetting one crucial fact. Love makes fools out of men. It has made a fool of Terra and she could potentially turn him against us."

"Exactly. I agree with Xaldin and Luxord. The relationship is taboo and hazardous," Ansem concurred with a sturdy nod of his head.

"Silence!" Xehanort shouted. "All of you agreed to this! You act as if you didn't know this could happen! The Seer Sages told us - _all of us_ \- that Terra could fall in love with her. It was a possible future and we all agreed to accept it as a possibility. We were willing to make that sacrifice in order to obtain Aqua's powers and to acquire her as an obedient Black Mage. Lest we forget Terra is the key to breaking Aqua. He is the only one who can convince her to willing stay here after her rehabilitation period. That is why he was assigned to her. Terra is the only one who can conquer her and if we have to stomach the relationship and relinquish Terra as a Dark Knight for a while, then, so be it!"

"I know this!" Ansem bellowed. "I agreed to this just as everyone else here did! But now that I have seen it and watched the events unfold, I’m not sure if I can stomach it anymore! Terra is changing drastically before my eyes. I knew that he could grow to care for her in some way, but I didn't think it would impact his personality the way that it has. It makes me uneasy."

"As long as Aqua is within the capital, Terra will remain loyal to us," Xehanort replied disdainfully before slouching back into his elevated chair.

"And what if she doesn't remain in the Dark Capital?" Lexeaus inquired.

"That is why I have summoned the seers," Master Xehanort countered impatiently.

"It is too risky. We have to execute her. I do not want to lose our best knight to something as insignificant as love," Xaldin scoffed.

"Oh, for the love of Darkness!" Xigbar threw his arms up in exasperation. "Why are all of you so eager to throw away perfectly good breeding stock? Let Terra have her! Let him have his fun and let him get it out of his system. That is what he does. He fucks girls for a while, gets bored, and moves on to the next one." Xigbar snickered with amusement. "Just let him fuck her until he gets tired of her and her obnoxious radiance and if we are lucky, we will get a new Terra or Aqua out of the deal."

"Yes!" Vexen cried in excitement, his green eyes shining mischievously and his crazed brow rising. "I would love to breed a Black Mage to a Dark Knight!"

"Would that please you, Ansem?" Xemnas questioned, eyes cutting to his fellow ruler. "You get to keep your finest knight, Terra gets to keep Aqua, and everyone gets the Black Mage project. We could even get a new breed of Dark Knight or Black Mage. If we are lucky, the child will be more obedient than its mother and more powerful than its father."

"I will only be pleased when the Seer Sages convince me that such a future is possible and that we still have complete control over the situation," Ansem responded coldly, his orange eyes distant.

"After we consult with the Seer Sages, we will inform Terra and Aqua of our decision. If we decide to let Aqua live, she will not receive a second chance. I guarantee each of you her disposal the instant she even _thinks_ about becoming a nuisance again," Lord Xehanort announced, glancing at the members of the Court who craved Aqua’s demise. "Surely all of you can tolerate her presence until her year of rehabilitation is up. After that, if the situation still displeases you and the Court still finds her unfit to be our first Black Mage and that she is in fact untamable, Aqua will be executed."

* * *

"Go find the Seer Sages. Tell them they are wanted in the Round Room," Terra commanded indifferently.

"Yes, Master Terra," the two guards stated in unison before standing at attention and leaving the antechamber outside of the Round Room.

Once the men were out of sight, Terra removed his helmet and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He was exhausted. He had been in that horrid room for what felt like days and he had taken infinite amounts of criticism and condemnation. He supposed it was at least two or three in the morning by now.

Sighing heavily, the Dark Knight turned on his heel to leave the antechamber and return to the foyer where Aqua waited.

"Going back to play Prince Charming while you still can?" Vanitas asked when Terra walked past him. "Going to be the prince to the princess? Just like in those stupid story books Mona used to read to us?"

Terra had nothing to say to that. He just continued to try to completely ignore the fact that Vanitas was even in the room.

"I've got news for you," Vanitas continued even though Terra was refusing to acknowledge him. "Girls like Aqua get Prince Charming, but I guarantee you that you aren't _her_ Prince Charming."

"Vanitas," Terra hissed, squeezing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Prince Charming isn't a real concept. You said so yourself. He is a guy out of phony fairy tales. He doesn't exist. Guys like him don't exist."

"Oh, I believe they do! Not in a literal sense, of course, but those goody-goody guys that spread happiness and shit rainbows _definitely_ exist. You know they do. You crack their skulls on a daily basis, and one of those guys is whom Aqua will end up with." Vanitas chuckled darkly, his menacing laughter bouncing of the inside of his helmet in unnatural ways.

Terra glared at him. "What is the point of all this, Vanitas?"

The older knight didn't have the patience for the riddles and the unnecessary nonsense.

"There isn't a point really. I am merely stating fact. I am just trying to be a good brother and save you from some of the inevitable grief and heartache you will surely experience when Aqua runs off with the good guy. I am just trying to warn you brother dear," the crimson knight said much too politely, placing his hand on Terra's shoulder in mock comfort.

"Go fuck yourself." Terra knocked Vanitas's hand off his shoulder.

The crimson knight countered and struck the hand that had dared to bash into his.

Terra's fragile patience shattered. The tension that had been building between them for the past few months overflowed and he couldn't control himself anymore.

The bronze knight violently chucked his headgear to the ground and he punched Vanitas's helmet right off of his head.

Golden eyes narrowed dangerously and the Keyblade Master swiftly shoved his fist into Terra's plated abdomen causing him to heave momentarily before he received a rough counter strike to his exposed jaw.

When Terra regained his breath, he tackled Vanitas to the ground.

Terra and Vanitas were the about same age, but Terra had an advantage when it came to size. He instantly began bludgeoning Vanitas's head and planned on continuing until his stupid face was an unrecognizable pulp.

Bloody, gauntleted fists crashed into bone and cartilage again and again until Vanitas shoved his clenched hand under Terra's chin.

The larger knight reeled off his opponent as his mandible was propelled up into his skull, his teeth cruelly crashing against each other so hard Terra knew his molars were now a jagged, crooked mess.

Before Terra could react to the blow, the golden-eyed knight had kicked him across his already suffering jaw.

Terra spat blood as he flailed to the ground from the force of the kick. Seconds later, Vanitas kicked him again, this time in the stomach, forcing the bronze warrior to roll onto his back.

Terra growled and used his leg to knock Vanitas's feet out from under him.

While the crimson knight struggled for his footing, Terra brutally rammed his metal boot into the black armor with red streaks that coated Vanitas's vulnerable chest, driving him onto his back.

Swiftly, Terra violently launched his foot into the ruby Dark Knight's trunk and smirked when he felt the armor give, causing some of his crazed foster brothers ribs snap like pathetic twigs.

_That is what you get for wearing that thin armor!_ Terra mused before he knelt down and continued mangling his face like a man possessed.

"Terra! Stop!" Larxene's voice chimed in the bronze warrior's sensitive ears, but the assault didn't stop. He could feel her arms wrapping around his waist as she tried to pry him off Vanitas but it didn’t inhibit his movements or make his blows any less powerful.

While the two foster brothers exchanged savage blows upon each other, the Seer Sages tried desperately to separate the lethal Dark Knights.

Fights between Dark Knights were not uncommon, but the seers knew that this fight could easily turn fatal. Terra and Vanitas would not stop until only one of them was left alive. After all, they were trained to fight to the death. It was in their blood, their DNA.

Vanitas had gotten back to his feet and now the knights were bashing each other into nearby vases and legendary weaponry that decorated the room. They took turns slinging one another into other into the metal walls of the antechamber and pounding each other's heads in with any and every object they could find.

"Get off me, Larxene!" the Dark Knight with midnight blue eyes roared when Larxene continued tugging at his arms and attempting to inhibit his movements.

"No, Terra! Stop!" she pleaded and Terra fought the need to knock her across the room and out of the way.

Terra picked up Vanitas's helmet and prepared to give him a permanent concussion while Vanitas got ready to shove a shield's sharp edge into Terra's stomach. He wanted to separate the upper half of his body from the lower half.

" _Stop!"_ Marluxia howled and his voice reverberated so harshly inside the knights' heads that they both fell to their knees, mercilessly putting an end to the heated death match.

Terra’s vision blurred and his eardrums exploded as the male seer's telepathic scythe stabbed right through his skull.

"This place has turned into a fucking madhouse," the salmon-haired seer hissed contemptibly.

Larxene helped Terra back to his feet while Marluxia and Zexion lifted Vanitas and called for guards to help them in case the two combatants decided to finish what they started.

_Like any of you could stop me if I wanted to finish him off,_ Terra mused arrogantly.

"You're so stupid," Larxene chastised while her hands compassionately rested on Terra's heaving chest.

The golden-haired seeress reached for Terra's hemorrhaging mouth and attempted to use her thumb to wipe away his blood only to have him yank his head away from her.

Spitefully, the Dark Knight roughly wiped the scarlet liquid away himself. Aqua was the only person he would allow to touch him in such a manner and he despised how Larxene still acted like she still had some sort of _claim_ on him.

Disappointment and hurt marred Larxene's impish features.

The Keyblade Master glared at her and instantly noticed her eyes. They were a lighter shade of green. Larxene's eyes were always an intense, shimmering shade of emerald, but now they were slightly faded and contained a duller hue of jade. It was a very subtle difference that most people wouldn't catch but he had known her since childhood and he had looked at those virescent eyes countless times.

_She is going blind… She is a natural seer. How can she go blind? Larxene…what are they making you do that is so extreme that it is causing **you** to lose your sight?_

Terra didn't care enough to actually ask. He had more important things to do and other things to worry about. Besides, the whole Seer Sage thing was between her and the Overlords. If they wanted to run her into the ground and if she wanted to throw her sight away, it was her decision.

He glanced over Larxene’s head at Vanitas. His golden eyes were feral and his nose was clearly broken and his lips were busted.

Satisfied with the damage he had done, Terra turned to leave and began casting Cure on his vandalized mouth. “I’m out of here.”

"You might wear protective covering like a knight in shining armor but you are not that guy!" Vanitas called after him as Marluxia and two other guards struggled to keep him back. "If she isn't executed, Aqua will get her Prince Charming, but it won't be you!"

The vermillion warrior _always_ had to get the last shot, whether it was physical or emotional. Vanitas wanted to harm Terra in any way possible and since he could no longer reach him physically, he tried to harm him emotionally before he departed.

With way too much force, Terra slammed the door on the foolish, venomous words. He was way too tired to deal with Vanitas or his extremely idiotic…yet painfully truthful statements.

Once he was back in the foyer, the bronze knight glanced over at the bench he had told Aqua to sit on and she was still there. Her legs were crossed and her eyes were very distant and weary.

When her dim eyes met his, Terra could almost feel her heart plummeting to her feet. She was terrified and that was saying something. He’d never seen her afraid of anything before.

"They are still deliberating," Terra stated before she could think the worst.

Slowly, he walked to the bench, sat next to her, and rested his elbows on his knees. He did a magnificent job of guising the fact that he had just been in a cutthroat struggle.

"They are still considering your worth. You aren't getting a trial. They are just going to converse with the Seer Sages and make a final decision."

"It's bad, isn't it?" Aqua inquired fearfully as she looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah. It's bad." He saw no point in lying to her.

The young woman laced her fingers over her crossed legs and nodded.

"You are lucky that you are gifted and that some of the Elders kind of like you. It might save your life," Terra added before sitting upright and resting his back against the wall.

To Terra's complete and utter surprise, Aqua gently laid her head in his lap.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Terra inquired skeptically. He just knew that she would be livid with him.

"I was," she assured him as Terra's hand began stroking the azure locks that sprayed across his lap, "But you were in there for so long I had plenty of time to get over it."

It was the calm after the monstrous storm. The inevitable peace that always came after their differences were put aside.

"Have you slept any?" The knight brushed through her soft hair with his long fingers.

"No," she answered curtly. She was too frightened and stressed to sleep…

The Dark Knight brushed her hair off her face and noticed a puncture wound on her temple. His brow furrowed as he inspected the injury. Yes, he had hurt her today but he doubted he had caused anything like that.

"How did you get these?" Terra ran his fingertips over the lesions.

Aqua shivered. "Larxene. She said you are going to kill me…"

"I'm not going to kill you," the warrior responded flatly, almost scoffing as he stared blankly at the empty suit of armor across the hall from them.

"You will… She said you would… I saw it," the Light Keyblade wielder whimpered and tightly shut her eyes. She was doing her best to focus on his comforting actions and not the visions of him that she had seen.

"The seers aren't always right," Terra spat when he thought of the contemptible beings. "They might have special abilities but they are still human. They can make mistakes."

Aqua curled into a tighter ball on the bench. "I saw it… I saw you. I saw you killing me."

"Just trust me," he pleaded and tenderly caressed the side of her face with the back of his fingertips.

For some reason, that was all she needed. She just needed him to assure her that he was who she thought he was and that Larxene was wrong. Suddenly, Aqua felt like she could sleep.

Terra could feel the tension leaving her body as he continued to play with her hair. Her breathing was slowing and she was shifting against his lap. He recognized the movements; she was about to fall asleep, and after a few moments, Aqua did fall asleep, but he didn't. He couldn't. He could only stroke Aqua's hair and pray to Darkness that the Court decided to spare her.

* * *

"They are ready for you now."

Terra jerked and looked up to see Zexion standing in the doorway next to them.

Terra nodded and shifted, attempting to pull himself out of the daze he had been n for hours, causing Aqua to groan and fight to stay on his retreating lap.

"Aqua," the Dark Keyblade Master whispered, gently rubbing and patting her shoulder and side. "Come on. We are being summoned."

Reluctantly, Aqua sat up on the bench and looked at Terra with concerned eyes. She didn't say it but Terra could tell that she was still afraid and truthfully, he was too.

The blue girl was led into the Round Room and once she was inside, she was surrounded by every member of the Court. She suddenly understood why it was called the Round Room. Towering, gray chairs with varying heights encircled her. Countless sets of fiendish eyes bore into her skin and condemned her into the deepest bowels of Darkness, but she did not falter or show fear, she would not give them the satisfaction.

"Our decision has been made," Lord Xehanort announced.

Aqua's eyes squeezed shut as she braced herself for the verdict. She was preparing to hear him say that she would be killed, that Terra would execute her in front of everyone in Hollow Bastion.

"We have decided to spare you.”

Aqua's pearl black pupils dilated in shock.

"For now," the monarch quickly added.

Gradually, Terra released the breath he had been holding since he reentered the room.

"However, you will be closely monitored for the next few weeks. Locks will be taken off of your door and frequent room checks will be administered frequently and not just by Terra. You may keep your room but privacy is no longer a privilege," Lord Xehanort explained coldly.

"Not all of the rights that you have earned will be revoked," Xemnas declared, "But your behavior after this incident will greatly influence whether or not you will survive until your rehabilitation ends."

"Do not misunderstand us, girl," Ansem hissed and pointed at her. "We are not being lenient because we are forgiving or kind. We are being lenient because we have decided that it is the best way to deal with your… _unique_ personality."

"We have seen your future and being _too_ strict with you or taking away all your rights will do none of us any good. You will just be back here in a matter of days and your blood will end up filling the fountains within our capital anyway," Xemnas stated as if he was bored. He probably was.

"That does not mean that we trust you and that does not mean that you will be spared at the end of your rehabilitation. It only means that we are choosing to _basically_ act as if this never happened **_if_ ** you are willing to be more cooperative from now on," Xehanort explained.

"Much more is expected of you now," Ansem warned. "That means no fighting Vexen when you receive your monthly injections. No arguing with the Elders. No skipping your lessons. No disobedience. You are walking on _very_ thin ice. One slip up, one step out of line, one snappy remark, and you will be instantly executed. No questions asked."

"You have been here long enough that it is time you started acting appropriately. From now on we expect you to act as the perfect rehabilitation subject. Any other insolent behavior will result in your immediate termination," Xemnas said and the Elders nodded their agreement.

"Do you understand?" Master Xehanort asked gruffly.

"Yes, my lord," Aqua reluctantly complied and bowed elegantly in submission, causing a huge, malicious grin to form on Xehanort's face.

* * *

"That was terrible," Aqua said under her breath.

She and Terra were finally allowed to leave the Round Room after innumerable amounts of time had passed within the circular walls. Hours of nothing but lectures, warnings, and penalties had passed and neither of them knew what time or even what day it was.

The Child of Light had been shocked when Terra's punishment had turned out to be _much_ worse than hers. They had almost completely blamed the incident on him. The Court claimed that it never would have happened if Terra had been more careful and had been more aware of the happenings within the city. They had not been surprised by her actions in the slightest, but they were _extremely_ disappointed in their former captain's carelessness.

He never said it...but Aqua knew he had taken the heat for her. He had taken the bulk of the responsibility and he would also receive the punishment. As a result, Terra had been demoted and would be receiving hours and hours of conditioning and training starting before sunrise each morning. The Overlords were clearly trying to whip Terra back into shape. Aqua knew he was receiving many other forms of unspeakable discipline...he just wasn't telling her about them.

"I never want to go in there again," she stated when they finally reached her room.

Everything hurt. Even though Aqua didn't let on, she was in intense amounts of pain. Her back ached and her ribs were irritated. It hurt to breathe. Not to mention the screaming migraine she’d had since Larxene put her hands on her.

"Hopefully, you won't have to go in there again until the summer," Terra walked to her ice blue curtains and began pulling them closed so the rising, early morning sun would not disturb her while she attempted to sleep.

"This summer?" she asked with a yawn as she plopped onto her fluffy bed of blue and white.

"When your rehabilitation is over and their final decision about you is made," the young man stated while continuing to pull the draperies in the room closed.

"Oh, right…"

Aqua hadn't even thought of that. She had completely forgotten the original terms of her rehabilitation. The first night she was brought to Hollow Bastion, she had been told that once her year in the Dark Capital was up, they would decide if she could be freed or if she would have to be imprisoned or executed.

Honestly, Aqua thought they never had _any_ intention of letting her go. It was just something they had said to her out of courtesy and to keep up appearances. It was something to give her false hope while she waited out her year there, a motivation for her to behave and now that she had seen the Black Mage blueprints, she realized her intuition had been correct.

Once Terra had finished closing the curtains, he peered down at her. She was lying across the bed with a pillow held firmly under her head. Midnight blue eyes traveled lower and he saw the devastating state her back was in.

Guilt coiled in his gut and his chest burned with remorse.

"Do you want me to heal you?" Terra sat on the bed beside her.

Although the Dark Knight knew she would refuse, he asked anyway. He at least wanted to offer so that he could somewhat ease his traumatized conscience.

Aqua's entire body tensed and she bit her bottom lip. She desperately wanted to be healed. It would make her night or morning, whichever it was, a lot easier…but she wasn't sure if she wanted Terra to heal her.

For Aqua, healing was much more than a simple spell. There was a level of intimacy to it and that was one of the many reasons she never wanted Terra to cast Cure upon her. Now that she thought about it, it was the only remaining reason why she continued to refuse.

Healing had always been an act of compassion. One of her few remaining memories of her mother and grandmother involved them channeling Cure through their lips so they could literally kiss her wounds away. Then, when they were killed in the Purge, she had done the same thing for Kairi and eventually for Xion, Naminé, and even Ven when he let her.  With time, they would return the spell with the same amount of affection. It would not always involve kissing wounds away, of course, but there was always a level of intimacy and warmth to it. Master Eraqus would even treat the white magic with tenderness and fondness sometimes. It was something they had been taught to do. It was a spell to be respected because it was life, healing, and it required trust…

"Yes.”

Terra's dark eyes almost popped out of his head. She had never complied before and he wasn't really sure how to proceed. He hadn't expected her to actually accept his offer.

The knight inspected the poor condition of her sweater. It was ruined, beyond repair and he needed it out of the way so he could work on her damaged back.

"Um, Aqua?" Terra cleared his throat.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to need you to take your sweater off so I can heal your back properly," Terra explained as kindly as he could, removing his gauntlets before lightly placing them at the foot of her bed.

"Oh," she mumbled before she sat up and turned her back toward him.

Terra crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to remove the blouse until he realized that she was waiting for _him_ to. A lump formed in his throat and his blood simmered.

Unsure hands reached for the bottom of the raveling garment and slowly pulled it up the length of her torso. Searing fingertips purposely slid over the recently exposed ivory skin as he lifted the article of clothing off her upper body.

Aqua shivered when she felt Terra's fingertips travel from the top of her hips, over the curve in her sides, and over her tender ribs until the remnants of the sweater were completely removed from her body.

Shakily, the blue girl grabbed her oversized pillow and used it to cover her exposed chest before she lied back down on the bed, her back facing Terra.

"Ready?" The knight didn't want her to be startled when he touched her.

The young woman was pretty sure she hadn't regained her ability to speak after Terra had stroked her bare sides with his fingertips, so she merely blushed and nodded into the pillow.

After taking a very deep breath, Terra extended his hands and gently placed them on her shoulders. The instant his hands made contact with her damaged skin, he began conjuring Curaga. He massaged the spell into the scrapes and gashes along her shoulders. Heated hands kneaded and rubbed the affected areas until he felt the rugged texture of the injuries fade. Then, he would slide his hands down to the next area of her back.

"I'm sorry, Aqua," he apologized as he continued to treat her wounds until only faint traces of dried blood marred her perfect skin.

When she heard his sincere apology, her cobalt eyes went wide. Terra rarely apologized for anything…

"I really didn't mean to hurt you... I-I just didn't want you to scream."

_I didn't want to lose you,_ he added mentally.

"I understand.”

His white magic was different… It felt different from any other type of restoration spell Aqua had ever felt. Many people had healed her before, but she had never felt anything like this. It was cool at first, like most variations of Cure, but after the initial cool, it would turn hot and would begin burning her skin. The icy hot sensation would repeat each time he would chain the spells upon each other.

Honestly, the Child of Light was still amazed that Terra could even cast white magic at all so she wasn't too surprised to learn that his Cure was…different. It was probably a result of the experiments and procedures he had endured since a very young age.

"How are you able to use white magic?" she finally had to ask.

Terra chuckled. "It is just something I have always been able to do and somehow, the procedures didn't take away my ability to conjure it. I can't use advanced white magic though. I can use Cure through Curaga but that is about it."

The Dark Knight’s hands traveled lower to the bottommost area of Aqua's back. When his hands glided over the back of her upper hips, she reflexively stiffened.

"I'm sorry." Terra quickly retracted his hands.

"No. No, it's okay… I'm just not use to that kind of…contact," the Child of Light assured him and tried to relax so he would continue.

"Are you sure?" he asked, desperately trying to hide the dull but growing lust that threatened to possess his voice.

"I'm sure. Don't stop," Aqua meekly smiled at him over her dainty shoulder.

The knight took another deep breath to calm himself, and attempted to remove any and all smutty thoughts in his hazy brain. Once he thought he had control of his body and his straying mind, he proceeded to heal her scrapped hips.

When he finished casting Curaga over all of her injuries, he returned to the top of her back and began the same pattern, but this time he casted Cura. Terra knew from experience that Cura would help remove any soreness Curaga didn't expel and would also prevent scarring. He really didn't want to be responsible for any more of her scars… The ones on her wrists tormented him enough… He didn't want her to have any others from him…

"Where else does it hurt?"

"T-The back of m-my ribs are still kind of sore…but you don't have to work on them…" Aqua insisted but Terra's hands had already moved under her arms and had started to knead into the tender muscles.

The Light Keyblade wielder took in a sharp inhale when his large, smoldering hands traveled over the outer sides of her ribs and almost slid to the front of her ribs, underneath her exposed breasts.

"Boundaries again?" he inquired calmly as his hands journeyed back to her vertebral column.

"Y-Yeah," she stuttered when another involuntary shiver consumed her.

_He probably thinks you are so stupid... You are such a goody-goody, Aqua,_ she cursed herself for embarrassing herself in front of him again.

The round of Cura didn't last as long as the round of Curaga. The majority of the healing process was already done. Finally, Terra had decided to go for one last round of Cure then, he would stop.

"Last chance to tell me of any other places you need healing," he heeded flatly before proceeding to massage every single inch of the porcelain skin that coated her back.

"My shins and my temples." Aqua managed to speak without stuttering that time.

His hands felt good… They felt _really_ good despite the bizarre sensation his healing caused. Terra was skilled with his hands… He knew how to rub her without being too rough or being too soft. It felt just right. She found herself wondering what they would feel like if they weren't covered in Cure, but she scolded herself and pushed the lewd thoughts into the back of her head.

"You realize you will have to roll over for me to get those areas," he mentioned bluntly as he inspect her back for any areas he might have overlooked.

"I can cover myself…but if you don't want to, I understand. They are just some tiny nicks. They can easily heal on their own." Aqua blushed when she worried he might refuse to bestow any more attention upon her. She hated herself and her treacherous body for longing for Terra's attention. After all, he was the one who did this to her. If anything, she should be nauseous that he was even this close to her…but she wasn’t…

The knight sighed heavily. "I don't mind if you don't."

"I-I don't m-mind," she stammered again when she felt the icy hot sensation of his Cure retreat only to be replaced by the familiar warmth of his bare hands.

Royal blue eyes went distant while scalding hands wandered over every portion of her back. Her skin was so soft. He didn’t know if angels existed, but if they did, their skin had to feel just like this, and he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the silky texture for a little while longer. He was no longer healing her and he was sure that she could probably tell but he couldn't bring himself to care. She wasn't stopping him so he wasn't going to stop.

Terra was gentle. More gentle than Aqua ever thought he could be. His hands glided over her flawless skin and he could do nothing but silently marvel at her perfection.

"You can roll over whenever you want," he informed her when he reluctantly pulled his hands away.

When Aqua shifted onto her back, he immediately wondered if he would be able to restrain himself. Aqua innocently held her fluffy pillow over her exposed chest, her bright, baby blue eyes peering over the top of the pillow at him. That innocence was so tantalizing… That look was so unsure yet inviting it made his muscles tense with need, but he ignored it and instead tried to focus on how amusing she looked hiding behind that pillow as if it could save her from him and his immoral gaze.

The Dark Knight laughed at the way she was looking over the pillow at him. Her mouth and nose were buried into its surface while her eyes watched him curiously.

"What is it?" she asked skeptically, one of her blue brows rising.

"Nothing," Terra chuckled, positioning himself at the foot of the bed, shifting her sash over, and pulling her stocking off her feet so that he could get to her damaged shins.

The Dark Keyblade Master purposely didn't spend much time on her legs. Being between them at all was a major hazard and he was struggling not to rip that pillow off of her virtuous body and proceeding to ruin her for any other man who would dare touch her after he felt that he had laid a permanent claim on her.

Terra rubbed her legs for a while longer and tried to figure out how he was going to heal her temples.

_Fuck it,_ he thought as he crawled up her body and positioned himself between her legs.

When Aqua felt her knight slithering up her body, her eyes ripped open. She thought she was about to fall asleep but she was suddenly very awake. Her pulse raced and her breathing quickened as Terra positioned himself on top of her.

"Are you afraid?" he asked darkly yet playfully, seeing the obvious alarm swimming inside her cerulean orbs.

He tenderly brushed her blue hair off of her abused temples, his eyes fierce, smoldering when they locked onto hers.

"No," Aqua snapped confidently but her chest heaved against the pillow that separated them. She didn't want Terra to smell her obvious fear...or maybe she didn't want him to feel the slight thrill that coursed through her stimulated veins.

The knight began running his thumbs along the puncture wounds Larxene had inserted into her temples. Instinctively, Aqua's eyes closed when Terra finally freed her from the throbbing migraine that had been tormenting her for hours.

"Thank you," she breathed, her cool breath fluttered across Terra's vehement lips like angel's wings. Her legs reflexively parted and innocently slid up his steel-plated sides when the intense, overwhelming relief he provided washed over her.

"You shouldn't thank me for anything," Terra scolded when his overwhelming guilt once again started to devour the lining of his stomach.

"Terra..."

"Don't," he rapidly replied, moving her pillow up so that he could lay his head on her nude stomach.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Terra continuously apologized as he firmly wrapped his arms around her hips and buried his face in the toned plains of her belly. "I'm sorry."

He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. There were so many things. He supposed he was apologizing for anything and everything. Maybe he was apologizing for things he hadn't done yet. He wanted her forgiveness even though he knew she resented him too much to truly give it to him.

Slender ivory fingers sifted through his dark hair as he repeatedly asked for forgiveness. Aqua didn't answer him, but she brushed his chocolate tresses with her fingers and listened to each expression of regret that vibrated against her stomach until they fell into the clutches of slumber.

* * *

Winter had cruelly descended upon the Paramina Rift. The bitter cold of the frigid season had abruptly crept across most of the Dark Realm while the quartet that searched for Aqua traveled through the protective shield of the narrow Paramina Rift.

They could no longer seek the sanctuary within cities or towns. They were in the heart of the Dark Realm and they were forced to travel through the feral wilderness and normally unexplored forests and swamplands that surrounded the route to Hollow Bastion.

"No, that won't work either." Ventus ran his fingers through his hair in displeasure.

Sighing heavily, Riku ripped yet another piece of paper out of Naminé's sketchpad and fed it to campfire.

They had been using Naminé’s sketchpad to draw up possible escape plans, but so far, each scheme had been tossed into the inferno that struggled to survive in the intense cold.

Nearby, Naminé and Xion napped close to one another underneath hefty sleeping bags on the cold, snowy ground while Riku and Ventus attempted to come up with a plan for when they finally reached the Dark Capital.

After their meeting with Mona, they’d stocked up on supplies in ZoZo before they journeyed into the inhospitable regions around Hollow Bastion.

Once again, the small group fought an impossible war with time. It had taken them much longer than originally anticipated to get this close to the capital. To avoid capture or arrest, the party was forced to travel through uninhabited, dangerous wastelands. They were hidden within the forests, marshes, and faults but the areas were harder to travel in. Brutish wildlife filled the areas and the terrain was hard to scale even _with_ a wild chocobo bred to thrive within such uninviting conditions. If the group wasn't fighting feral animals they were grappling through untamed lands.

As winter intensified, fewer and fewer animals confronted them, but Naminé had succumbed to the raw environments and had contracted an illness within the boggy yet frozen fields of Qu's Marsh. She was recovering now, but the ailment had definitely slowed the party down substantially.

Truthfully, the delay was not too much of an inconvenience since the team of four still had no idea how they would get inside the dreary metropolis of Hollow Bastion much less locate Aqua and retreat safely.

"Ven, we are going to have to decide on something," Riku stated and leaned across the fire toward Ventus who sat across the feeble flames from him on an oversized, frost covered boulder. The sickly inferno's embers flew into the swirling wind of snow flurries and sleet.

"We are just going to have to accept the fact that there is _no_ safe way to do this. Mona told us that." Riku tapped the dulled pencil on Naminé's sketchpad. "We are just going to have to choose the _least_ dangerous option."

"According to Mona, the only way we are going to find Aqua is if we physically go into the capital and look for her, but she also said Aqua will probably be living in their palace and she will probably have a constant companion or guardian…" Ventus resisted the impulse to pull all of his hair out.

Mona had explained to them in great detail the way she had been rehabilitated. The former Seer Sage said that they had found her weakness, assigned the proper companion to exploit said weakness, and skillfully remolded her from the inside out. Mona had told them that rehabilitations usually lasted a year or two depending on what the Overlords expected and what the Seer Sages predicted. After the predetermined period of time ended, the subject would receive a final judgment. The subject would be examined and the Court of Elders and Overlords would determine whether or not the individual could be released and permitted to return to their home or if they had to be sent to a detention center or receive a public execution.

The blind seeress said that she had met their strict requirements and that she had received a ‘successful rehabilitation’. Then she was given two options. She could leave Hollow Bastion and return to her normal life but if they learned of any disobedience or treachery she would be found and instantly killed, _or_ she could stay within the safety capital, become a full-fledged Seer Sage, and serve them just as they had intended from the very beginning.

Mona was ashamed to admit that she had chosen the second option…

' _They knew I would want to stay. They had planned out every single second of my days there so that I would be encouraged and driven to stay. The desire to stay had been instilled within me. I wanted to stay with my guardian…and I wanted to stay with the children I looked after. I had created a new, unorthodox life there and honestly, I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to survive outside of that world of elegant palaces and grand banquets. I had also betrayed the Light… I’d done horrible things. I was ashamed... I was afraid to leave… I was afraid to face everyone after everything I had been through within that corrupt city's walls... Everyone I was close to was dead and I knew no one else would ever understand... By the time I was permitted to leave, I found that I no longer wanted to and they knew that. Even though they offered me the choice, in the end they had known from the very beginning that I would not choose leave. I would either be executed or I would stay and serve them obediently. That was why I was chosen and that was why I was rehabilitated and I am sure that is also why your friend was chosen. If you want to have any hope of saving her, you must get to her before her time is up, because once her time is up, she will no longer wish to leave and she will be their pawn or she will be dead. They will make sure of that. It may already be too late. The girl you will find – if you successfully enter the capital – may not be the girl you want to find. There is a huge possibility that she will refuse to go with you.'_

The recollection of the ex Seer Sage's velvety voice savagely swarmed around inside Ven's head, but he determined to get to the capital before summer. Aqua would have been gone a year in the summer. Even though Mona had warned them that some rehabilitations could last only six months, Ventus doubted Aqua could be completely converted in just six months. She was too strong.

"So we will just have to figure out a way to get into the capital and the palace. After that, we will have to get Aqua alone," Riku groaned at how easy it sounded but how complicated and tricky the actual act would be.

He had no idea how to proceed. This was where all their plans always started to fall apart. They could never come up with a plan beyond this point. All they knew was that they would have to get inside the impenetrable capital and they would have to find some way to get into Tarnen Palace; the stronghold, the hive, and the fortress where all the vile beings responsible for the Dark Rule resided.

"What if she doesn't want to come with us? What if she doesn't want to leave? What if we are too late by the time we get to her?" Ventus asked anyone or anything that could give him an honest answer.

It was all too much to absorb. Between what Mona had told them, the endless traveling, and the hopeless amounts of faulty planning, Ventus was on the verge of giving into chronic depression.

"Then we can say that we did all we could. We have to try." Riku’s eyes fell to the muddy snow that coated the rotting earth of the Dark Realm.

"I mean it is Aqua! She wouldn't give in, right? She wouldn't let them corrupt her. She hates everything about the Dark Rule," Ven said aloud, trying to convince himself.

Riku knew what Ventus was saying was very true, but he didn't mention that he thought that Aqua might not _willingly_ do those things but she might succumb to it if she wasn't aware of it happening to her. Mona acted like it was something that she had no control over. How can you stop something you aren't even aware of? How can you resist something you don't feel overpowering you?

The silver-haired Keyblade Master decided to change the subject. "We will have to figure out the layout of the city and the palace before we can make any concrete plans. We will probably have to survey the area for a few days and then figure out the best course of action. We’ll have to figure out what we are up against and go from there."

Ven frowned. "I just hope we make it in time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!
> 
> Okay we can all release a collective sigh of relief! Aqua isn't doomed...yet! Just kidding...or am I? Of course, everyone knew that I wasn't actually going to kill her off. We still have so much crap to cover! Wouldn't that be awful if I did though? That would be total bull if this chapter was just me saying that they killed her. That would be one of the most unfulfilling and disappointing endings ever! And now I digress.
> 
> Next time, we will go to the prison and see how Sora and Kairi are doing, and we will have some magic lessons with Terra and Aqua!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	19. Love Like Winter

"S-S-Sora?" Kairi questioned for the umpteenth time.

She'd entered the mess hall with Saïx not too long ago and had sprinted across the dull, dreary space within the desert prison right to him.

The girl was now at the rounded, stone table with them, sitting beside the almost familiar boy.

"Sora?" She placed both of her warm hands on Sora's unwashed face.

"That's right." He offered a weak smile.

She remembered him that day, but her condition still perplexed him to no end. Kairi was still...off, but she wasn't the drone she had been a few months ago. She was no longer disoriented and  _completely_ empty-headed. She had evolved into a perpetual, unnaturally happy and childlike state.

"They have reset her," Yen Sid stated blankly from across the table.

Eraqus wasn't there. He could no longer stand to be around Kairi. Luckily, Master Eraqus was currently outside with some of the other prisoners doing pointless, monotonous labor in the burning sand, so he wouldn't be forced to see the girl he regarded as a daughter deteriorate before his eyes.

The redhead could almost remember Sora sometimes but she never remembered Master Eraqus. She merely called him the sad man. Every time she saw him she would always ask him why he was so sad.

Kairi couldn't understand sadness anymore. She knew only happiness, bright, demented happiness.

"Sick?" Kairi roughly tossed Sora's long, shaggy hair that had grown much too long throughout his incarceration.

"Yeah. I don't feel good today, Kairi," he confessed as sand was strewn out of his hair by Kairi's hands.

It was true. He didn't feel good but he wasn't ' _sick'_ , he was just drugged to the point of nausea and undying dizziness. All prisoners were given unknown narcotic injections to retard their thought process and their physical abilities. Since Sora was also capable of casting powerful magics, he was given magic suppressant as well. It always made him feel lousy.

Kairi scratched at her cloth-covered arms and Sora winced. He knew that she was scratching the grotesque wounds on her mangled arms.

"Kairi?" he spoke slowly. Sometimes she struggled to comprehend the simplest concepts. "Do your arms hurt?"

"Itchy." She continued rubbing her irritated arms.

"Can I look?" Sora asked gently as he scooted closer to her.

Kairi smiled vibrantly and nodded, clearly not understanding why he wanted to look at her arms. Her smiles were bright but her eyes were dull and were almost completely black with only a thin ring of blue surrounding her unnaturally dilated pupils.

Carefully, he slid the blackened sleeve up her arm and observed the gruesome condition of the underside of her arm. It looked like the bastards had been driving spikes up her innocent arms.

"Medicine."

The brown-haired young man knew they were giving his old friend lots of unknown injections and drugs but he seriously doubted any of the unknown substances crawling in her veins and arteries were  _any_  form of  _'medicine'_.

"Medicine." Sora scoffed, "Right."

She was brainwashed. They had reverted her into a state of childlike dependency, but Sora did all he could. Every time he saw her, he tried to remind her of who she was and who he was, but she couldn't ever understand or remember. Her attention span was that of a three-year old and anything that went beyond basic conversation went over her head, causing her to shut down or quickly change the subject into something simple like flowers or how hot it was.

Kairi vaguely remembered him but she when she did remember him, she only remembered him from their time spent together within the prison's scalding walls. He doubted she remembered their life together outside of the detention center. Sometimes he thought she might, but it was becoming less and less likely.

Sora could feel Saïx watching them through the eerie, white pupils of his helmet. Kairi was allowed to see him when she was permitted to roam the correctional facility, but she was always watched. They never let her get too far or stay with him for too long. Not that it mattered how much time she spent with him. Nothing he did could help her. As long as she was under their thumb and they continued pumping chemicals, narcotics, and Light knows what else into her blood vessels, she would never properly recover.

The bizarre condition that plagued the disoriented girl was inconsistent. She had her good days, she had her bad days, and she had her  _really_  bad days. Sora had noticed a pattern. After a few days, he wouldn't see her for a while and when she returned, she wouldn't know him at all. However, she was a bit more mature and a little brighter each time she came back. The changes were very subtle, but Sora detected them. Kairi was slowly recovering, but in an unhealthy, corrupt way. He was sure _they_  were erasing what they needed to be erased and highlighted what needed to be emphasized in order for her to become a model citizen of the Dark Realm.

_Get rid of the Light and call forth the Darkness,_ Sora mused bitterly before lightly wiping some of the gathering sweat off his forehead with the back of his forearm.

"Kairi," he uttered while she naïvely played with his dirty fingers. "What do they say to you?"

"They?" she questioned, her ruby brow furrowing in confusion. "You mean…the Masters?"

"Yeah. The men you are always with, the ones who visit sometimes. The men who are friends with Saïx." He tried to explain in a way that she might understand. He knew he could easily lose her if he made it too complex.

"They help me…r-remember. They-They s-saved me." Kairi struggled to convey the simple message. Her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth trembled as she forced her sabotaged mind to sync up with her tongue.

Sora was struggling to hear her over the rowdy, riotous clamor of his fellow inmates and the yapping of the prison guards. That or his 'medications' were getting to him, impacting his senses.

"What do they help you remember?"

"M-y family… Past? I think…?" she answered with vast amounts of uncertainty.

_Good. They haven't really gotten anything to stick yet._

"Sora," the girl whispered, her eyes going distant as her fingertips traced over Sora's bare knuckles. She could almost remember something but she couldn't quite put her finger on it…

Ultramarine eyes closed and she tried to chase the memory that taunted her. She drowned the unruly, noisy sounds around her out, the mess hall out, and tried to focus on his hand.

_Something about his hands... Something about his hands... They...didn't use to look...like this?_

"Gloves. You…you wore gloves," she stated and she sounded a lot like the Kairi Sora remembered.

"Yes!" Sora squeezed her deadly pale hands. "That's right! I used to wear gloves! Do you remember what they looked like?!"

He was ecstatic. This was the first time she had brought up anything from…before.

"No… No fingers... They didn't cover your fingers?" Her face scrunched while she tried to put the crushed pieces together.

The young man nodded and Kairi held her dismembered head in her hands. It hurt to sift through the mangled tissue of her melted memories.

"It's okay." Sora tenderly held her hands in his. "You don't have to remember any more. That is enough for me."

"Sora," Yen Sid chastised with a shake of his head. "You know this will not take. Nothing you tell her stays with her. They constantly expunge you from her flimsy memory."

Yen Sid admired his student's optimism, but it was callow and unrealistic. He didn't want Sora to get his hopes up only to have them crushed time and time again. Such repetitive devastation would take its toll and it would eventually defeat him. Yen Sid suspected that was the reason Sora was permitted to interact with Kairi. Sora's will was strong and his spirit was resilient, but he was far from invincible and the guards and Overlords knew it. Yen Sid was pretty sure the fiends knew everything.

"Have a little faith," Sora replied.

"I am only trying to help you, Sora. Please try to be realistic. Kairi is their guinea pig. We have no idea of what they are doing to her. I know you want to help her but there isn't much we can do for her in here. All we can do is offer her our support whether she remembers it or not. Do not expect her to make a miraculous recovery on her own."

"You are starting to sound like every other Child of Light and prisoner in here!" Sora spat, "No one has any faith in  _anything_ anymore. The only thing anyone is sure of anymore is death and the Dark Rule! I'm sick of it!"

Sora's suddenly intense tone made Kairi cover her ears. She didn't like loud noises and she really didn't it like when the nice boy yelled. He wasn't supposed to yell.

"I just want you to be practical," Master Yen Sid replied softly.

"Kairi will get better. She is getting better every day even if she doesn't always remember me. They can't keep erasing her memory forever," the brown-haired young man insisted hesitantly, despairingly trying to give himself something to live for. "And when they stop, I will be here to help her remember everything..."

"It is time to go, Kairi." Saïx forcefully hauled Kairi to her feet before she had the chance to respond and coarsely yanked her hands away from Sora's.

"She just got here." Sora tried his best to control the volume of his voice but failed miserably.

"Do you honestly think that I care?" the unfeeling knight countered.

"I know  _you_  don't care, but I am sure she does." The Keyblade wielder rose to his feet.

"Sit down, Sora," Yen Sid heeded calmly as to not anger the Dark Knight further.

Sora ignored his Master and did not sit down.

"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of her." It was Saïx's pitiful attempt at reassurance.

"Just let her stay." Sora almost growled.

"Is she that important to you?" Saïx questioned, his tawny eyes narrowing inside the helmet with an emotionless, faux face.

It was a test and Sora knew it, but he couldn't let him take Kairi. Not yet. She was close to a breakthrough. He just knew it...and if he had to degrade himself to help her, then he would.

"Yeah. More than anything," Sora admitted shamelessly and straightened his posture in mock confidence.

The girl with pearl black eyes watched silently, she was not sure what was going on. She couldn't understand why Saïx and Sora didn't like each other.

"Show me how important," Saïx demanded, deadpan.

The teeth inside Sora's mouth fiercely clenched against each other as he wrestled with the intense desire to hit the knight upside the head with the tray he had been eating his lunch off of.

Sora's blue eyes peered over at Kairi. She looked frightened and confused, and Saïx's gauntleted hand was grinding into her fragile arm.

Unwillingly, Sora got on his hands and knees before the knight and groveled.

"Please," he begged, not for himself but for Kairi.

As he waited for the knight to respond, he felt the grainy sand that had accumulated on the rough prison floor fuse onto his sweaty and already grimy palms.

"So Marluxia was right. You really do care for her. In that case-" the Dark Knight paused, "-the answer is no."

"You rotten bastard!" Sora swiftly rose to his feet. He clamped his trembling hands at his sides so he wouldn't give into temptation and punch the knight. He was on so many narcotics that all his reactions and movements were delayed. He was in no condition to get into a fight with a man he probably didn't stand a chance against even if he  _wasn't_  drugged.

"Are you angry? Do you hate me?" Saïx questioned calmly "Then take that rage and direct at something worthwhile."

"Give into the rage and anger and we  _might_  consider giving you a second chance. We might even let you become a Dark Knight. It really is such a waste for you to rot away in here when you hold so much potential," he continued and shook his head, an imitation disappointment.

"I would rather rot away in here than serve your contaminated cause."

"Oh, come now, Sora," Saïx sneered. "Everyone can see how completely and utterly miserable you are here. If you agreed to become a Dark Knight, we would give you the one thing you might want more than Kairi's wellbeing. We could give you your freedom."

Sora's dull eyes widened.

"No," he said softly, closing his eyes and holding his head down in defeat.

"If you make a beast of yourself, you can get rid of the pain of existing in a world of nothing but misery and dissatisfaction," the Dark Knight added after seeing Sora's microscopic reaction to his proposition.

"Shut up!" the Keyblade wielder shouted and recklessly charged at the man who was trying to weave invisible puppet strings into his nerves, muscles, flesh, and even his brittle bones.

Effortlessly, Saïx slithered out of Sora's way and grabbed the sixteen year old by his messy, chocolate-colored mane.

"Last chance to behave and seriously consider what I offer. It will be easier for both of us if you succumb now." Saïx's grip on the back of his head was firm as Sora thrashed against him, desperately trying to free himself.

"I'd rather die!" Sora howled, fighting Saïx's steel-plated grip so much his hair and pieces of his scalp began to peel off his head.

"Alright." The knight shrugged and bashed Sora's head into the hardened corner of the stone table.

Sora's skull was mercilessly crushed against the rocky, jagged surface of the table, causing his brain to brutally rattle against every contour and curve of his braincase.

Infinite amounts of charcoal colored stone flooded his blurry vision. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he clumsily collapsed onto the gritty ground.

_"Sora!"_  a gentle voice cried in anguish. It echoed and fluttered throughout his busted cranium. His name clattered around in his splintered skull until his entire world went black.

* * *

Terra had a nasty limp. With perturbed eyes, Aqua watched the ironclad man hobble through the blankets of snow that covered the Fountain Court.

Her guardian wasn't in a very good mood when he came to the Palace of Retribution to pick her up after she had spent the day with Xemnas. Terra was quiet  _and_ unfriendly.

While she silently followed him through the frozen fields, Aqua began wondering if she had done something to anger him. Terra wasn't even waiting on her to catch up with him. He was traveling at a quicker pace even _with_  his injury. She was lagging behind him and he didn't even seem to care.

Feeling oddly mischievous, Aqua smirked and knelt down into the feathery snow. She skillfully made a perfect snowball and quietly rose to her feet. She eased closer to him, and in one swift motion she chucked the ball of ice at the back of Terra's helmeted head.

The instant the snowball collided with his headgear, Aqua gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands to muffle the laughter that threatened to spew out of her lips.

The Dark Knight froze. He tensed so much that his broad shoulders almost grazed his ears. Slowly, he turned and she didn't have to see his face to know that he was glaring daggers at her.

"Really?" He removed his helmet and began digging the icy precipitation out of his collar and off the back of his neck.

Aqua couldn't hold it anymore. She actually laughed for the first time in ages. Not a fake or forced laugh, a genuine laugh.

Dainty hands covered her plump lips that quivered with laughter.

"I… I'm so sorry!" The Child of Light desperately tried to stop laughing at him, but matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop giggling. All she could do was cover her mouth with her hands while Terra scowled at her.

"I don't know what got into me," Aqua confessed in between titters.

It had been so long since she had laughed like this. It had been so long since she had played around with someone like this. She couldn't even remember the last time she had actually done anything of this nature.

Her laugh was infectious. Her eyes shimmered as she chuckled into her hands and Light radiated off her milky skin with her momentary happiness.

Terra smirked. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were  _trying_  to get my helmet off."

"Maybe," she taunted playfully. She couldn't help herself.

Suddenly, Terra was carelessly tossing his headgear to the ground and bending over in order to create his own icy sphere.

Seeing his creation, Aqua squeaked, ran down the slick steps of the fountain's pool, and sprinted over the icy water that surrounded the cubed fountains.

"No! Terra, don't!" She hid behind the frozen water that no longer erupted from the spout like watery lava.

"You started it," he heeded lightheartedly as he slowly approached her. "Don't start what you can't finish."

The knight pitched the snowball up and down in his steel-plated hand mischievously. Tension built while he waited to act.

Without warning, the young man charged through the frozen pool toward Aqua only to have her effortlessly flip over him and back onto the snow-covered concrete.

Terra's jaw almost hit the ice-covered pool "You are something else. You know that?"

Aqua beamed but before she had time to completely absorb the compliment, the knight was running at her again.

Unable to control herself, she succumbed to another giggle fit. Once she had started laughing, she found that she couldn't stop, but she needed to laugh. For a while, she thought she had forgotten how. It felt good to laugh.

The Keyblade wielder's giggles tickled at Terra's subconscious and he was instantly reminded of his dream. He was chasing her and she was actually  _giggling!_  He couldn't believe his ears.

All at once he was back in his dream. He was running down crimson hallways, his blood whooshing in his ears, his breath hot in his throat, his muscles tingling with adrenaline, and she was  _enjoying_ herself.

The snowball he had created had melted against his warm palms moments ago and he hadn't even noticed. It was more about the chase now.

The Dark Knight chased her through the arctic court while they continued throwing balls of frostiness at one another until they were both blanketed in frost and icicles hung from every inch of their bodies. The match had reached a stalemate until he herded her into the corner of the stairwell that led back to town.

"No!" She chuckled. "Terra! Let me out!" She pushed at the human cage Terra's sturdy limbs had created.

"You didn't say please." Terra pinned her further into the corner with his body, the metal caressing her clothes intimately.

He was reminded of his dream…again.

When he caught her in his dream, he had kissed her and he found that he wanted to kiss her now. Her chest heaved and her breasts carelessly grazed against his armored chest. Her face was flushed and she panted in between giggles.

She looked magnificent covered snow. The white glaze that smothered the formerly moss-covered brick of the stairwell made her unique features pop. Her baby blue eyes glimmered. Her hair sparkled from the ethereal sheen the snow and ice had given it.

Terra should be cold but his entire being was a turbulent inferno. His nerves were on fire with lust.

Aqua stopped laughing when she noticed Terra's serious expression. Their eyes locked and she licked her lips. Baby blue eyes mated with eyes of midnight blue and her face heated despite being smothered in snow and frozen water.

The knight's eyes were hazy and half-lidded as he subtly leaned toward her.

Blinking rapidly, Aqua shifted uncomfortably against the walling. For a minute, she thought that he looked like… Like he might kiss her...

Terra thought about it. He seriously considered capturing her lips and kissing her until she would have no choice but to submit to him. He would imprison her mouth until she wanted him as much as he wanted her…but it was written all over her face that she didn't want that. It would…complicate things and things were complicated enough as it was without him making it worse by giving into simple-minded needs.

"You can let me out now." Aqua smiled nervously.

_I get it…_

Terra leaned back and let his limp arms fall to his sides. He kept forgetting that just because he loved her, it didn't mean that he had automatically received her love in return. He frequently mistook her tolerance for affection or endearment. Terra supposed he wanted to see it so badly he had begun searching for it in everything that she did, but it was never real.

Sighing heavily, he started lurching toward the Castle Town. He didn't care if she was following him or not.

"I think you are bipolar." Aqua began brushing the snow flurries off her now damp clothes.

"I am moody. There is a big difference," Terra countered, trying to ignore her.

The Light Keyblade wielder didn't try talking to him anymore. He had made his mind up and she knew him well enough to know that when Terra didn't want to talk, he wouldn't talk.

Instead of attempting to communicate with the knight, Aqua decided to listen to the crunching of her element under her feet. She purposely buried her feet further into the mushy snow than necessary as she glided over the snow-bound sidewalks and streets.

When they reached the palace and entered Aqua's room, she instantly plopped into her seat at her wooden desk.

Terra roughly collapsed onto her neatly made bed, causing her many silky pillows to scatter across the bed and into the floor.

"What happened to your leg?" Aqua pulled out the box of crafts and trinkets.

Terra had bought the box for her shortly after her escape attempt. Since he knew she didn't like being alone, he bought it so she would have something to do in her room by herself. Aqua didn't like being spoiled but Terra had gotten a bad habit of spoiling her with random gifts like clothing, jewelry, books, or anything else he thought she might like or that might interest her.

"It was four against one again today," he replied into the fluffy texture of her bedspread.

Aqua winced.

Terra was still paying her escape attempt that had occurred  _months_  ago. The Overlords and Elders had basically forgiven her because she had been a much better rehabilitation subject since the incident, but she was starting to wonder if they would  _ever_ forgive Terra for being irresponsible.

"Aren't you going to heal it?" She pulled out the bright red book she had borrowed from Zexion's library.

"I did, but I think I broke it. I will probably have to work on it again later." Terra rolled onto this back, and threw his arms over his head in exasperation. "Broken bones are much harder to heal than cuts or bruises. You can heal them; it just takes a bit longer."

"I know. I used to use white magic. I am not a Black Mage yet," Aqua challenged, not even realizing that she was speaking as if she would in fact become the Black Mage.

"Sorry."

"Do you think there is anyway they will let me keep my white magic?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.

Aqua knew that in order for her to use the impressive, highly advanced black magics, her white magic would have to be sacrificed. The Overlords would want  _all_  of her necromancy skills and abilities to be channeled into her black magic. Her powers could not be divided. Dividing the magics would weaken them. She would be able to cast both but it would require a lot more effort for her to sustain both of them, effort that could instead be used to completely master every kind of black magic and possibly generate magics that didn't even exist yet. Everything she had would have to be solely dedicated to the arcane arts so that she could become an undisputed expert.

"You saw the blueprints. Black Mages _only_  use black magic. In order for your body to cast powerful black magics, like Ultima and Flare, you can't be giving any of your energy to the opposite art. White magic will only inhibit your mastery of black magic and vise versa. You could do both but only in moderation, which is a waste when you could be using your talents to completely master one of the arts," the Dark Knight explained.

After a few moments of strained silence passed, he sat up and tried to see what Aqua was making. "What are you putting together?" He didn't get up. His foot hurt too much to actually get up and walking was something he wanted to avoid.

"A good luck charm. Somewhere out there, there is this tree with star-shaped fruit and a lot people make good luck charms shaped like the fruit that grows on those trees," she answered while continuing to work on her creation. "Technically, I think I am supposed to make it out of seashells, but I am doing the best I can with what I have." She carefully inspected the book's examples.

Aqua purposely left out the details of what the charm represented. According to the book she borrowed from Zexion and the legends she had heard while visiting the Destiny Islands, the charm was supposed to represent an unbreakable connection. It was supposed to keep friends from being driven apart. As long as they carried charms shaped like the fruit they were supposed to always find their way back to each other.

The blue girl wasn't sure how much truth there was to the legend nor did she have any friends to make other charms for, but to her, the charm represented more than that. It was more like a promise she was making to herself. The charm was a promise that nothing that happened to her in Hollow Bastion would drive her away from the friends and family she had left behind. And maybe someday she would eventually find her way back to them…

"Oy," the brunette grumbled as he fell back onto the bed. "Sometimes you are such a girl."

"Hey," Aqua hissed and turned in her chair to face him, "What do you mean 'sometimes'?"

* * *

Thunderous knocking fell upon Aqua's unsecured door, causing her to almost jump out of her seat. She was trying to do some work at her desk in peace for a while but it looked like she wouldn't be able to do that.

"W-Who is it?" she nervously asked even though she knew very well who was on the others side of her door. Only one man was courteous enough to knock even though her door no longer had a lock or a doorknob thanks to the Court.

_"Only your guardian."_

"J-Just-Just a minute!" the blue girl hurriedly guided the pieces of her latest project into her desk drawer and pulled out the unfinished segments of her good luck charm. She clumsily scattered them across her desk as if she had been working on it the entire time.

"Come in!" she called once she was sure that it indeed looked like she was only working on her Wayfinder.

As soon as the words left her lips, Terra entered her room and tossed an unknown object onto her bed. "I just thought I would drop by and see if you wanted to train today."

The bronze knight strolled next to her desk, crossed his arms, and leaned against the nearest wall. "If you aren't too busy with your little knickknack…thing."

"No!" she cried. "I would love to practice!"

Cobalt eyes traveled to Terra's form and she realized he was still in his training clothes, which consisted of him only wearing beige pants.

"Wait... Aren't you tired? You have been practicing all morning…and I know your training isn't that easy anymore…"

"Do you want to train or not?" he growled, his royal blue eyes narrowing with impatience.

"I want to train." Aqua held her hands out for Rainfell's charm expectantly. She had missed her Keyblade since she hadn't been able to train since her… _incident._

Terra walked to her bed, picked up the object he had slung on the bed when he entered, and tossed a wooden Keyblade to her.

Aqua's brow creased as she inspected the unorthodox object that clearly  _wasn't_  Rainfell.

The toy Keyblade was a hodgepodge of wood and string and Terra's name was carved into the handle.

"Um… What is this?"

"Technically, it is the Keyblade I trained with as a child before I became a real wielder," Terra replied.

Aqua repressed the grin that threatened to bloom across her face when she thought of a young, bright-eyed Terra wielding the object in her hands.

"But today it will be the Keyblade you will be using during training," he continued.

"You're kidding." Aqua slouched in disappointment. "What about Rainfell?"

"Honestly, you probably aren't even supposed to be training at all; much less with your Keyblade."

"Then, I don't want to train at all." The young woman attempted to hand the wooden weapon back to Terra, the Court's poisonous words and deadly threats ruthlessly echoing around in her head. "I-I don't want to get in trouble… I can't afford to get in trouble." She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Relax." Terra's hands descended to her shoulders. "They aren't going to execute you for something that _I_  have _clearly_  encouraged you to do."

He winked at her but she was far from convinced that this was a good idea.

"I am a bad influence you know," he purred and gently rested his forehead on hers, causing Aqua to hold her eyes tightly closed.

Meekly, Aqua's dazzling eyes opened and met Terra's. Their noses brushed against each other and the Dark Knight smiled.

"What do you say?" he coaxed, roughly rubbing her shoulders as if it would stir her into action.

Terra could tell she desperately wanted to practice. She just needed some encouragement. She needed to get over her fear.

The Child of Light sighed and peered down at the wooden Keyblade in her hands.

"Okay," she yielded, shaking her head dejectedly, causing her to rub her nose back and forth against his.

Aqua reeled and Terra's eyes widened at the shocking action.

_WHY DID I DO THAT?!_ her mind screamed.

The young woman's face turned a bright shade of crimson. "Oh! I mean—um…we should leave. I have some things that I need to come back and do…and I have lessons tomorrow…and you have training really early in the morning…and we need to come back before dark and the Overlords will—".

"Aqua," the knight said calmly before patting her shoulders. "Let's go."

"R-Right," she stated with a nod and followed her guardian out the door.

* * *

Terra's wooden Keyblade flew out of her hand after the weapon received yet another jarring kick from its former master.

"Ugh!" Aqua huffed with obvious disappointment in her defeat. "I almost had you."

"Yeah," he agreed with a chuckle, his breath becoming visible in the snowy air.

"You have gotten a lot better." The unarmored knight made his way across the wintery training field to retrieve the weapon he had kicked out of Aqua's hands.

He lifted the discarded object out of the thin layer of snow and approached the Child of Light.

"You're trying to hard to move your body," he instructed while firmly placing the weapon's hilt in her hand from behind. Terra held her arms and adjusted her position. "You need to learn to let your body move you."

The Dark Knight straightened her back, kicked at her feet, and angled her body so that she could easily use her amazing agility and grace against an opponent. He manhandled her until he gave her what he thought was a perfect fighting stance. "Right?"

Aqua nodded. Terra was actually a very good instructor when he chose to be. He didn't try to change her technique or her natural style. He just tried to polish any tiny faults he found.

"Terra?" the Child of Light inquired as he liberated her arms.

"Hmm?" the Keyblade Master mumbled, making his way back to his spot across the field from her.

"In another life…" she almost whispered, twiddling her fingers, "Do you think…that we could have been…friends?"

Terra's breathing hitched and his movements paralyzed.

_Where did that come from?_ he mused as his head turned in her direction, but he did not face her.

The young man shrugged. "Anything is possible."

Silence.

"Do you?" he inquired.

Aqua thought about it for a moment, watching the sporadic snow flurries hover weightlessly in the crisp air around Terra only to instantly melt when they came into contact with his searing, tanned hide.

"Well…I like to think so… Maybe if we hadn't been raised differently or had the same master…"

Terra nodded.

The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. Clearly, they were not friends and both of them knew it. They would probably never know what they really were but they knew they were not friends. Friend was a much too compassionate term for what they were. Friends didn't fight they way they did. What they had definitely wasn't a friendship.

"Ready to go again?" Terra rotated his well-muscled arms in preparation.

"How are you not freezing?" Aqua had to ask. She had watched him run around in the freezing cold for hours without his shirt on and he didn't seem perturbed in the slightest.

"You aren't the only one that can adjust body temperature," he huffed and blew steam out of his flared nostrils for emphasis.

"Yeah, but I can still get cold." Aqua rubbed her shoulders to ward off the intensifying cold.

"Can you cast anything other than Blizzard spells?" the knight inquired. He couldn't think of a time when he had seen her cast something other than some unique variation of Blizzard.

"No," the Light Keyblade wielder admitted hesitantly, crossing her arms and looking in the opposite direction.

Terra plopped onto the frigid ground and curled his finger at her. "Come here."

Aqua frowned and watched him skeptically. She couldn't help but find his demand somewhat provocative and almost seductive.

"Come here," he repeated sternly, his index finger curling more aggressively at her defiance.

The young woman blew her bangs out of her face and took an elegant seat in front of him. Regally, she had tucked her slender legs behind her, adjusted her billowing sash, and sat with unrivaled, queenly poise.

Terra could tell that staying in the palace had impacted the way she held herself. Aqua had always been graceful and naturally elegant but now she almost held herself like royalty.

While Aqua ran her fingers through her lengthy tresses and brushed them off her delicate shoulders, the knight extended his hands palm up for her.

The Child of Light's nose scrunched at the offering. She still detested the thought of holding Terra's hands with her own. She didn't want to hold his hands or even wrap her arms around him. It was too…personal. She had broken many of her original rules when it came to Terra, but embracing him was one she refused to break.

After staring at the unwanted proposal for a moment, Aqua slammed her bandaged wrists into Terra's waiting hands.

He laughed genuinely, causing Aqua's heart to falter when his strong chuckle wriggled out of his chest and vibrated against her wrists.

"Still hate touching me huh?" he laughed. "I guess I can respect that."

"Anyway," Terra stated and cleared his throat when Aqua continued to do nothing but glare at him. "We are going to have a magic lesson. I am going to teach you Fire. Don't panic, I mean regular Fire, not Dark Fire. Can you conjure?"

Aqua's hands twitched and a small amount of ice formed on her fingertips. "A little."

"Blizzard may be your element but that doesn't mean you can't use other magic. Right?"

She nodded even though the answer was painfully obvious.

"The ability is there. You can do it; you just need to bring forth the dormant skill. Fire will probably be the hardest for you since it is the opposite of Blizzard. Once you get Fire down, everything else will probably be a breeze for you considering you are supposedly a magic wiz." Terra rolled his shoulders. "Alright, so how do you manifest Blizzard?"

He knew that everyone had different methods for producing magic. Some relied on emotions, others relied on memories, and some used features of the element itself.

She shrugged. "I usually just think about ice, about being cold. I think about cold places or whatever it is that I want to create. It just comes naturally."

"Of course it comes naturally  _now_." Terra rolled his dark blue eyes. "I meant when you first started."

"Well, you need to be more specific," Aqua spat and tried to pull her wrists out of Terra's grip.

"Stop it," the Dark Knight snarled and tugged at her ivory wrists, turning his hands into a painfully familiar snare.

Instantly, Aqua stopped her tugging.

"So you rely on the physical attributes of the element to channel it?" he asked, his tone suddenly much calmer.

"Yes," she said spitefully, glaring at the ground between them.

"Okay then. Since you are so smart, cast Fire. Any amount of Fire you can make. I will take the fact that you are on magic suppressant into consideration," the man barked and Aqua couldn't help but notice that he sounded a lot like the captain that he used to be.

"Why are you holding my wrists? What does that have to do with me learning a Fire spell?" Aqua tried again to haul herself away from his large hands.

"Do you trust me?"

"No!" she snapped much too quickly and immediately began wondering how much truth there actually was to that statement.

"Fine! Do it on your own." Terra released her hands, and roughly folded his arms over his powerful chest.

The moment he pulled away Aqua understood why he was holding her joints. He was going to try to help her conjure since she was on magic suppressant, help her channel her energy.

_I guess I should have trusted him…_

Swallowing hard, Aqua closed her eyes and started thinking of the element of Fire.

_Hot. Embers. Bright. Stoves. Red. Blazes. Spices. Flames. Infernos…_

Her face scrunched up and she could feel her arms burning but she couldn't tell if it was because she was channeling the components of Fire or if it was because she was hurting herself by resisting the magic suppressant.

One of her cobalt eyes cracked open to see if anything had formed in her palms and she was disappointed to see that her hands were barren.

"I can't tell if my arms are burning because of the suppressant of if it is because of the spell," she confessed, her eyes timidly wandering to his.

"Will you accept my aid now?" Terra asked gruffly.

Aqua nodded.

"If you were feeling the element, it would have manifested so I doubt you were feeling Fire. It was probably just the suppressant." Terra seized her forearms again. "Fire feels more like this."

She could feel the temperature in his tanned hands rising. The sensation didn't sting like the magic suppressant did. It seared and sizzled across her porcelain skin, but it didn't hurt. Terra held the heated sensation on the tender flesh of the inside of her wrists for a while so she could get a good impression but her mind was starting to stray.

Aqua couldn't figure out how they got… _here_. So much had happened since last summer and she knew that she never would have tolerated this kind of behavior before. Never in a million years would she have let Terra play with her hair, heal her, train her, or comfort her. Their relationship was almost unrecognizable now. He was different and so was she...

"Want to try again?"

His soft voice brought her out her musings and she looked up to see him smiling warmly at her. While he held his smile, she could see the faint illumination that smoldered behind his dark eyes.

_His Light… It's like his Cure. It's a little off and doesn't feel quite right, but it is there… Terra…you aren't like the others… You are better than they are._

"Yeah," Aqua replied before trying to mimic the sensation Terra was applying to her wrists.

She could get close but she could never get close enough to conjure an actual blaze. "I can't! The magic suppressant is too much."

Terra rolled his eyes. "That is bullshit. This is coming from the girl who conjured impressive magic and took out hoards of guards while _on_  suppressant?"

"That was different," Aqua argued. "I was on an adrenaline rush and using magic that I have known since a young age."

"Excuses," he challenged. "Maybe you just need to think of something else. Sometimes different elements need to be channeled differently."

"Well…how do you channel it?"

"I use emotions to channel Fire and Dark Fire," Terra answered and she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Terra had a thing for using his rage and anger to drive his skills and talents. "But you don't have to rely on the emotions that I do. You can try using passionate emotions. Like desire or some other fiery sentiment. I know a lot of people who think about sex or other… _acts of passion_  to get their blood pumping enough to call forth higher powered Fire based attacks."

The Keyblade wielder's face flushed. "Well, we both know I don't exactly have a lot of experience when it comes to… _relations_  or things of that nature."

"I wasn't saying it had to be sex. I was just using it as an example. You're eighteen surely you have had some kind of passionate act by now."

"Sure, but I wouldn't say that it got my  _'blood pumping'_ ," she replied and she could practically hear Selphie and Kairi's wild laughter.

_If they were here, they would be calling me the Ice Queen and would be telling Terra that nothing could get my icy blood to boil._

The knight resisted the urge to be very inappropriate by offering to do several improper things to her on that frozen training field that he just knew would get her blood pumping.

"Well maybe you should think of something that would. It doesn't have to be anything that has actually happened. Just use your imagination. Even virgins have imaginations." The Dark Knight smirked mischievously.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Aqua grumbled uncomfortably. Terra obviously wasn't ashamed or embarrassed when it came to discussing acts of intimacy, but she was.

Aqua closed her eyes again and felt Terra's warm hands tighten around her wrists. First, she thought of having another adrenaline rush. She thought of running through Amur and running feverishly for Kairi. When that didn't work, she thought of running for her freedom when she ran to catch DiZ, but that didn't work either.

Finally, she began thinking of other innocent acts of passion like healing. Sure, healing was more like _compassion_  but she was desperate for inspiration. She thought of healing others and being healed herself. She sifted through the memories in order of occurrence in her mental timeline until she got to the time Terra healed her. She thought of him crawling up her body and the thrill she got from the fear that overcame her when he slipped in between her legs, how intimidated she was by the fierce look in his shadowy eyes and the heat that radiated through his armor so fiercely that she thought the pillow she held between them was being singed.

She could almost smell the smoke surging off the fabric that was being scorched by Terra's fierce, natural heat. Aqua could feel the warmth of his simmering hands on her face and she could feel her irises being burned to cinders by Terra's merciless, smoldering gaze that set her entire core ablaze.

And just like that, sparks fell off her fingertips and tiny flames erupted in her palms.

Blue eyes snapped open when she felt a foreign heat that wasn't Terra's.

"I did it. I did it!" The Child of Light squealed with excitement as she watched the fire dance in her hands.

Terra released her wrists to see if she could keep the connection without his aid and he was not surprised when she could.

"Good job," the Dark Knight commended with a small grin. "What did you think about?"

"Oh…um…just…um…this time someone healed me," she stuttered vaguely and tried to vanish behind her hair.

* * *

"Vexen, will Aqua's treatments and surgical procedures be ready for her by the summer?" Xehanort asked while sitting within his enormous throne inside the almost empty Grand Hall.

The clinking of the sparkling, decorative glass the dangled from the hall's many oversized chandeliers chimed subtly throughout the silence that filled the room.

Larxene's bored, jade eyes wandered to the shadowed ceiling and watched the shimmering crystals of the chandelier shiver against each other as their faint, clanging cries echoed off the blackened metal walls.

"Certainly," Vexen replied confidently, sliding his hands into his lab coat's pockets. "But will she be willing to receive them? Better yet, will she even be alive to receive them?"

"Are you questioning us, Vexie?" Larxene teased with a roguish shimmer in her glaring, emerald eyes as she placed an elegant hand on her chest in mock offense.

She relished in Vexen's irritation and she purposely pushed his oversized buttons. The man was easily annoyed and Larxene loved to bait his displeasure.

"I am a scientist. Not a mystic," the skeptical Elder scoffed, glaring at Larxene. "And as a scientist, I see the fault in your  _'flawless'_  abilities to peer into and predict the future. Just because you  _'see'_  something doesn't mean that it will in fact transpire."

Vexen was one of the Elders who questioned how well the Seer Sages could actually help the Court control the presumed future, but Marluxia and Larxene remained relatively unfazed and Zexion was too busy digging in his book to notice.

"Everyone in the Court knows that we can only extract potential futures out of the fragile ever-changing tome of what lies ahead. As a  _scientist_ you should know that the future changes too rapidly for  _anyone_ to accurately pinpoint an exact, indisputable future. The only way we are able to do that is if we  _naturally_  receive a pure, predestined vision. There are strained _and_  pure visions, you fool," Marluxia spat, his fathomless eyes constricting into menacing slits.

The salmon-haired Seer Sage loathed having his abilities questioned and declared unfit just as much as Larxene did. People prayed to obtain remarkable abilities like theirs. How dare anyone denounce them!

"That is enough. We did not summon Vexen here so you and Larxene could argue with him about your worth," Lord Xehanort chastised lightly, slouching further into his ebony throne.

Larxene and Marluxia nodded compliantly from his right.

"Regardless of the seers' visions, you have seen Aqua's drastic change in behavior yourself. She has performed commendably since her escape attempt. I am confident that she will continue to behave and that she will make it to her final judgment. That is why I want the Black Mage project ready for her the instant she agrees," the sovereign continued.

The deranged scientist nodded his understanding and Larxene squirmed.

The seeress loathed the idea of Aqua becoming a permanent resident of the Dark Capital. Larxene had been traumatically disappointed when she learned that  _none_  of her strained visions of Terra executing the Light whore actually occurred. She had seen a few visions of Aqua surviving the day of her escape attempt but there had been many more that suggested that Terra would in fact kill her. Of course, Larxene didn't show Aqua any of  _those_  visions. That wouldn't have been any fun at all.

The Seer Sage wished that she had naturally received a pure vision of the bluebird's execution. The azure wench wouldn't be here now if she had. Pure visions  _always_  happened. There was no avoiding the certainty that came with pure visions, but Larxene hadn't obtained a pure vision. She only had the strained, imprecise visions she had wretched out of the evolving fabric of time herself.

Recently, most of the visions Larxene diligently pulled from the time to come included the Child of Light becoming a very skilled Black Mage who served respectably at Terra's side.

If she was forced to track Aqua's future for one more day, she just knew that her brain would implode. But she _would_  be forced to track the bluebird again. She would be tracking her and yanking strained visions out of the still developing future until the Overlords were completely satisfied with her.

The only thing that kept Larxene from completely going off the deep end was the few visions of Aqua _not_  becoming a Black Mage. She could still see small traces of the cerulean pest being executed and privately, that was the future Larxene hoped for. She wanted the white witch dead so things could go back to normal. If bluebird were gone, Larxene could go back to receiving mostly pure visions and projecting those visions into others' minds. Then, she wouldn't have to labor excessively for strained visions to the point of blindness.

Larxene was a very talented seer but her strength didn't lie in peering too far into the future and extracting strained visions. She was much better at pushing into other people's minds and receiving visions the old-fashioned way, and that was why she could feel her physical eyesight fading. She was putting too much strain on her sixth sense in order to keep the Overlords happy.

Marluxia and Zexion were much better at gaining strained visions but the Court was so obsessed with gaining their Black Mage Larxene was being forced to do tasks she wouldn't normally have to do.

If it were up to her, she would lie and try to manipulate the Overlords into a false sense of security so that Aqua would end up being disposed of anyway. But she couldn't do that. She was only a piece of the Seer Sage machine, of the unholy trinity, the trio that melded together to make a sufficient future predicting powerhouse. Separately they were powerful enough but together they had much more accuracy and infinite depth. That was why they were usually summoned together. Together, they could go through the process of elimination and narrow down potential fates substantially.

However, Vexen was halfway correct. They could get close but as hard as they tried, sometimes they couldn't figure out which future from their stained visions would be the future that would actually come to pass. But that was where the physical muscle of Dark Knights and the Court came to lend a manipulative hand.

Larxene, Marluxia, and Zexion would give the Court the possible options then, the Court would begin planting seeds and pulling strings so that the desired future would eventually come to pass. Frequent checks with the seers would be administered until the proper event or result the Court yearned for would be all the seers could see when they peered into the future…ideally. Sometimes, they couldn't get an irrefutable future by themselves but with the help of the Court they could get very close. If all else failed, the Dark Knights could always be deployed to do damage control or to completely ' _remove'_  certain problematic aspects from the equation. The system was flawless when put together properly and the big picture would always be acquired even if some of the minor details were off.

The journey to obtaining the Black Mage had been a grueling prolonged process Larxene had come to despise but they had managed to narrow the aspects into two possibilities: execution or submission. That had been the goal from the beginning. Pull Aqua and Terra's puppet strings and alter seemingly insignificant easily modified events until only two destinies for the troublesome girl remained, and that was what they did. That was what they had been raised to do. Give the High Elders and Elders preemptive hindsight so they could pick at tiny details that could easily be changed until they positively affected the big picture…whatever that picture might be.

"My Lord, may I make a suggestion?" Vexen asked politely and Larxene shot daggers at him.

"Do not listen to him, my Lord. Only blasphemous words against the seers will fall from his bile-covered lips," Larxene purred into Xehanort's ear as she leaned toward his throne.

"Shut your vile trap, Larxene! You may be a seeress but you cannot prick my brain as Marluxia can! How could you possibly know what I will utter?" Vexen exclaimed, taking a desperate a step toward his sovereign and the sadistic woman who sang wicked lullabies into his ears.

"I do not have to probe your brain to understand your twisted mind!" the blonde woman spat, an electric current crackled around her, bolts sizzling and piercing the air around her.

"Larxene is biased, my Lord! She despises Aqua! She lusts for her demise! Jealousy consumes her. She could be deceiving you!" the man in the lab coat shouted and Larxene resisted the urge to shock him until all that remained of him would be his singed, ash-covered lab coat.

"Larxene is not the only Seer Sage present. That is why we have more than one seer to prevent such corruption from occurring. Her personal biases cannot change or influence what Zexion and Marluxia see," Master Xehanort countered, his ominous eyes lurching into the Seer Sages direction.

There was a deep pause, tension and electricity corrupting the air.

"Is this true Larxene? Are you discontented?" her Master continued, almost concerned for the girl he had raised as his own.

"It doesn't really matter if I am discontented or not. It does not change the course of fate. I cannot will  _her_  away as much as I may want to."

"You could lie! You could lie about destiny's course! You cannot manipulate the future by yourself but you can keep things to yourself and it could let a potential fate slip through our fingers unnoticed! We cannot halt or alter what we have no knowledge of!" Vexen rambled feverishly, flailing his arms in the air and pointing patronizingly at the accused.

"Are you accusing Larxene of treachery? That is a lofty accusation, Vexen. Larxene knows such actions against the Dark Rule would have dire consequences and she would not be idiotic enough to try such disloyal acts." The Dark Overlord rested his chin on his gloved fist.

"She is clever enough to do it without getting caught! She and Marluxia both! These seers need to be done away with! I held my tongue at Aqua's deliberation, but I agree with Luxord. We have grown too dependent upon them," Vexen replied.

"The Seer Sages are one of the reasons we have prospered as long as we have. You owe them much and you should think twice before speaking out against them again." The Overlord's eyes and tone went dark.

"What do you see, Larxene?" The Elder asked the lovely seer with a diabolical grin on her supple lips.

A diabolical grin consumed the seeress's lips. "I have seen her blood on Terra's Keyblade, I have seen your Black Mage as well as the army of Black Mages that will come after her, I have seen the child she will bear for Terra, I have seen Aqua childless, and finally, I have seen your gory entrails dangling from Axel's chakrams."

"Silence! If Axel will commit such treason, why is he still free to roam this palace?" Vexen reeled, the whites of his eyes bleeding fear, fear Larxene wanted to devour for sustenance.

"Vexen, you forget that Larxene is speaking of what  _could_  be. None of the strained visions she sees right now are certain. They can change daily and that is why we can never assume they will come to pass. That is also why we help them mold the future to our liking. They are crucial tools just as our Dark Knights are. As for Axel, we do not know if he was the treacherous one or if you are the traitor he was commanded to eliminate. It is an event that has not occurred and may never occur. If we instantly listened to anything our seers said, you would be dead by now. Remember that," the Xehanort heeded darkly.

"Honestly, I am insulted that you think so poorly of me. Controlling the future is a messy, complicated, and difficult task that we all take very seriously. You know this. You have helped us do so for years. I do not know where this distrust is coming from but I do not want to hear of it again. You are all dismissed," the monarch groaned angrily and rubbed his suffering eyes.

The Elder and the male Seer Sages bowed respectably while the seeress curtsied to the powerful ruler before exiting the Grand Hall.

"You know," Larxene stated once she and Marluxia leisurely exited the Grand Hall. "Vexen's annoying blabbering was  _very_  insightful today."

The male Seer Sage smirked impishly and ran a hand through his tousled hair before nonchalantly peering over at his fellow sage.

The golden-haired seeress reached for Marluxia's hand and sneered at him. "I have an idea."


	20. Kiss the Enemy

* * *

_Is there nothing left now?_

_Nothing left to sing_

_Are there any left who haven't kissed the enemy?_

_Does justice ever find you? Do the wicked never lose?_

_Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?_

_-The Blues, Switchfoot_

* * *

Powder blue silk curtains whirled and pirouetted with the spiraling night air. The silk fabric billowed and surged with the crisp wind like an everlasting ghost. Satiny drapes formed a ghastly specter that danced in front of the opened balcony doors. Distant cerulean eyes peered at the illusion the draperies made. It was yet another eerily quiet night of being unable to cope. The palace was silent. The only sounds within her quarters were the sounds of the flapping wind filled curtains and the steady hiss of the fountains that gushed outside of the dual doors. The somatic noises were subtle and soothing but the constant racket inside Aqua’s head was blaring and unsettling.

It had felt good to forget, but sadly, Aqua couldn't always forget. She couldn't fake amnesia forever. Repression could only work for so long and it seemed like it was getting harder and harder for her to repress the memories and knowledge that tormented her. She needed to face what was happening to her. She needed to confront her feelings about the life she had left behind. She couldn't be a coward anymore; no matter easy it would be to just continue living as if she didn't have a past, memories, or even a dreary, inevitable future.

Sleep eluded her as her mind restlessly churned inside her skull. Aqua stared at the curtains and actually allowed her mind to wander into the painful places she had avoided throughout the winter months.

Just as the worldly snow melted away and released the flora that had been restrained throughout the season, the inhospitable, insistent ice that suppressed Aqua's heartbreaking memories and brutal truths also began to thaw, releasing the stifled, dormant feelings and facts that hibernated within her subconscious.

The full moon's powerful, luminous rays occupied the chamber and gave the entire room a pale, sinister glow. Pain filled eyes could see every dark corner of her living quarters. Her eyes did not have to adjust for the moonlight provided a natural light that allowed her to see despite the night's lingering darkness.

_What would Master Eraqus think of you? What would your family and friends think of you? What would they say if they could see your sickeningly obedient behavior? What would they say if they knew how close you are to breaking; to giving in; to losing your faith in everything?_

"I don't know," she answered her angry head aloud in low whispers that faintly resonated within her room. "They aren't here. There isn't anything I can do about that either."

It hurt to admit that. It pained her to admit that she would probably die in Hollow Bastion. She would die or she would end up like Terra and Roxas or maybe even Larxene… Time had clearly already taken its toll. She wasn't the girl who had been brought to the Dark Capital. She was submissive, quiet, and most of the time, she was sad. With acceptance of her situation, came the sadness and she found she was spending more and more time wallowing in despair as her time began to run out. Spring was coming. After that, summer would be upon her and the Overlords would give their final verdict.

Aqua has begun asking herself the question she had started asking herself frequently: will you become the Black Mage? Will you serve them or will you accept an untimely death? She had always said she would rather die than serve the Dark Rule, but she had never expected that statement to become so literal.

Just as she was unable to take anymore and had resolved to hide from all of it beneath her covers, the sound of metal clanking outside of her door caused her to tense. It clinked and rattled, and the hum of male murmurs reverberated against the coal-black walls of the hallway.

When the steel-plated footsteps stopped at her door, she pulled her bleached covers over her shoulders and tried to disappear farther into her bed. Aqua thought it might be Terra coming to pay a random late night visit (which wasn’t the least bit uncommon), but whoever was at the door didn't knock. Terra _always_ knocked.

Her door creaked open and her eyes quickly closed so she could pretend to be asleep. Aqua's heart dropped and began pounding relentlessly at her stomach lining as she heard multiple sets of heavy footsteps booming inside her room. The men were whispering and the smell of sweat, blood, smoke, and cheap pub whiskey invaded her nose.

Instinctively, she prepared to cast a Thunder spell. She and Terra had been working on Thunder spells lately and she was more than prepared to channel the electric current through her body and into whoever dared to lay a harmful hand on her.

Suddenly, she wished she hadn't worn such a revealing slip to bed. She hated herself for acting like some kind of princess and for being spoiled to them; especially now when it could potentially make her more vulnerable or appealing to whomever it was invading her room.

Pressure was applied to the empty bed space behind her. Someone was sitting on her bed next to her. She tried not to panic so she would appear to be asleep. It was too late for a visit from Terra or a room inspection from the Elders or High Elders, leaving several unfavorable options as to whom her visitor might be. She hoped that whoever was trespassing would think she was asleep and leave.

_"There, you have seen her. Can we go now?"_

Whoever was on her bed didn't answer. Instead, the unknown individual carefully peeled the covers off her face. Gauntleted fingertips that smelled like blood grazed her cheek and pulled her hair off of her face and neck. It leaned toward her and held her hair back while he continued to get closer and closer to her face.

Just a she was about to shock the touchy individual to the core, a tender kiss was gently placed on her exposed temple, and Aqua could suddenly pick up the faint smell of cinnamon, honey, and maybe wet clay. The man either was Terra or had harmed Terra…

_"Shit!"_

Items clattered and it sounded like something fell to the ground and broke. Someone apparently bumped into an unknown object inside Aqua’s room.

The warm lips left Aqua's temple as quickly as they had descended and she waited for what she hoped would be Terra's voice.

_"You're going to wake her up!"_

"Son of a bitch! I am sure both of you already have!" a familiar voice scolded and relief flooded Aqua's heart until she thought the blood pumping organ would burst.

"Terra?" Aqua turned to face shadowy figure on her bed.

"See! What did I tell you? Blue isn't a heavy sleeper," Terra scolded, his eyes darting to the other shadows on the other side of her room.

Aqua sat up in bed and almost revealed that she hadn't been asleep at all, but she didn't really want to talk about the fact that Terra had just kissed her. She didn't want him to know that she knew he had done it, so she would pretend that she was asleep and act as though it never happened. It would be better for everyone that way.

"You can turn the lights on," she said instead as she rubbed her eyes and tried to see the other men in her room.

"Thank Darkness!"

Her lights flickered on and she saw a drunken Demyx fumbling with her light switch. Apparently, he had been the one that crashed into her dressing table. Thanks to the lighting, Aqua could see a random trinket of no value to her was in pieces on the floor and was being crushed further by Demyx's ironclad feet.

As her pupils continued to adjust the new brightness within the room, she realized that the knights were smeared in blood and soot. Ash clung to their hair, bloody fingerprints were tattooed onto their guilty flesh, and soot was smudged across their skin as well as their armor.

Aqua's stomach rolled and she was suddenly nauseous. She didn't want to know what they had done…or whom they had done it too…

Terra smiled warmly at her despite the obvious guilt smeared on his face. "I'm sorry I… I mean… _we_ woke you up. I just—"

"He bitched and moaned until we finally agreed to let him come check on you," Axel complained and took a seat at her desk. "I didn't want to come at all but _nooooo_."

"I hadn't seen her since this morning! I wanted to make sure that everything went okay while we were out conducting the Purge." Terra was clearly a little tipsy. Sober Terra would never say such things and sober Terra probably wouldn't have kissed her temple either.

"I'm fine," Aqua assured him with a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Terra was being sent away more. He was conducting more Purges, going on more missions, and doing more of the Overlords dirty work just as he used to, so he wasn't around as much but he always made time for her. He always took her to her lessons and usually picked her up afterwards, but apparently, they had gotten held up at a local pub that day.

“I'm sorry I didn't make it back in time to pick you up. Axel and Demyx insisted on getting drinks after we finished," he confessed and smiled shamelessly underneath a filthy face covered in blood and ashes that had blended with his sweat.

"It was a good pub!" Axel challenged. "You would have regretted it later if we didn't go."

Aqua instantly noticed that Axel and Terra could hold their liquor much better than Demyx could. Axel and Terra were only a little happier and a bit more expressive than normal while Demyx looked like he might fall over or bust out laughing at any moment.

"Oh! Now that she is up we can have a slumber party!" Axel - obviously a happy drunk - leapt onto the bed.

The Child of Light was instantly uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was to be sandwiched between two bloodstained Dark Knights on a bed. She realized this was probably a fantasy for many Servants of Darkness but not for her, even if one of the knights was Terra.

Having Terra on her bed was one thing but Axel was another. Sure, she didn't really _mind_ Axel that much anymore but he still kind of made her nervous. The red-haired knight was a bit wild, loud, unpredictable, and a bit too close to Saïx for her liking. She supposed his personality was an acquired taste (Roxas and Terra certainly seemed to like him) but she just wasn't that used to him yet… Honestly, Roxas and Terra were the only ones she was used to.

"Okay, that's enough," Aqua said uncomfortably while carefully crawling out from under her covers.

"I wanna come to the slumber party!" Demyx whined, stumbling to the bed, obviously feeling left out.

"No, Demyx, you're not cool enough to get invited." Terra kicked Demyx's away from the bed, and reclined onto Aqua's pillows.

Aqua scrambled to the foot of the bed and Terra watched intently with a lewd look on his face. He tilted his head and enjoyed the view of her crawling around on all fours in front of him. He probably enjoyed it a bit too much.

"Yeah, Demyx. No dumbasses allowed." Axel began shooting flames at Demyx's already uncoordinated feet.

It made Aqua physically ill at how easily the knights could turn their savagery on and off. How could they play around, get drunk, and joke with the blood of the innocent still plastered to their hide?

Demyx did a ridiculous dance to avoid the whips of fire Axel commanded before finally stumbling and falling face first onto the shiny floor. Axel and Terra guffawed at Demyx until they almost shed tears. Aqua wasn't sure she had ever seen Terra laugh so hard—at least not when he was sober.

"Don't listen to them, Demyx. It is my bed and my room and _if_ we were having a slumber party, I would let you come." Aqua insisted with a smile and leaned off her bed to give Demyx a hand.

Truthfully, Aqua always felt a bit bad for Demyx. He was constantly ganged up on, made fun of, and condemned. She could relate.

The clumsy knight gave a goofy drunken grin and took the young woman's hand and stumbled back to his feet.

A low growl vibrated in Terra's throat. He was jealous. He would admit it. Not because Demyx was competition, but because Aqua held his hand. Aqua had only taken his hand once and he had almost been too drunk to remember it, but he did remember her fingers refusing to wrap around his appendage. Her hand lied limp and lifeless in his palm. She clearly didn't want to hold his hand at all and what they did hardly counted as holding hands.

"So we aren't having a slumber party?" Axel placed his hands behind his hooded head and crashed onto his back onto the pillows. He knew good and damn well there wasn't going to be a slumber party but he was _just_ drunk enough to enjoy the childish joke.

"No," Aqua snapped. "I’m tired. I need to go to sleep and you guys are all too drunk to remember it anyway."

"Now that isn't true," Axel challenged casually. "Demyx is the only one here that is that drunk. Demy can never hold his liquor."

"I don't care! Out!" the blue girl countered. She wasn't in the mood for this kind of nonsense. It was way too late for her to tolerate it, and quite frankly, Aqua didn't like being around drunken individuals _at all_.

The Keyblade wielder jumped off her bed and made her way her door. On her journey across the room, she caught and glimpse of herself in the mirror and saw the evidence of Terra's bloody caress streaking down her face. She almost laughed at the potential symbolism. Terra tainted her each time he laid hands on her. She was guilty by association. The blood of others was rubbed onto her skin even though she had never laid a malignant hand on anyone.

With a huff, she held the door open and waited stubbornly for the unwanted visitors to leave.

"You two go ahead. I am going to stay with Blue a little longer," Terra declared as Axel got off the bed and began totting an incoherent Demyx out of the room.

"Yeah. Yeah. I get it. I know the drill. Play safe and remember to pull out," Axel got off the bed and began totting an incoherent Demyx out of the room.

Terra blushed. "…That is not what I meant.”

The young woman sighed again, "I know it's not, Terra. You don't have to explain yourself."

Aqua returned to her side of the bed and carefully fixed the blankets that had been disheveled by Axel and Terra. Midnight blue eyes watched her intently as she returned to her cocoon of blankets while proceeding to ignore him. It hurt.

Terra had noticed Aqua becoming more and more withdrawn and sad lately. It worried him. He didn't want her to be sad. That was the last thing he wanted and he didn't want her to return to old habits but she was. She was making eyes contact with him less and less and she avoided touching him all together if she could.

"Are you all right?" he asked, sitting up to inspect her.

"I'm just tired," Aqua replied. It was a partial truth.

The knight helped her fix the barrier of blankets around her body and tried to wipe the blood he had smeared across her pure face but he was only making it worse.

Aqua closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

The Dark Knight slid off the bed, turned the lights off for her, and prepared to head back to his quarters.

"You don't have to leave," Aqua whispered, realizing she didn't really want him to leave. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep and it would be nice to have someone to talk to if she couldn't.

"I might stay for a minute," Terra slurred and crawled onto the foot of her bed, the length of his body spraying over the bed's lower expanse.

The Child of Light hopelessly wrestled with the disappointment that tugged at her heartstrings when he chose to lie at the foot of her bed instead of next to her.

Ashamed and frustrated, she pulled the covers over her head. She shouldn't be surprised by his actions. She had been pushing him away lately…but what choice did she have? Her unorthodox attachment to him was unhealthy and it made her do stupid things. Her complex bond with the knight made her second-guess herself in disruptive ways.

She couldn't think about it anymore. It was too painful and embarrassing to admit. However, with Terra's presence lingering in her room and with his pressure applied at the foot of her bed, Aqua was finally able to find sleep.

* * *

_Aqua gradually opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. She stretched her arms over her head and glanced down at the foot of her bed, but Terra wasn't there._

" _Terra?" she called and glanced around the room._

" _He isn't here," a voice much like her own called._

_Cobalt orbs darted to her golden vanity to see a woman sitting on the rounded chair front of the dressing table._

_Her back was facing her but she could almost make out her features through the mirror's reflection. The lady at the dressing table wore a sleeveless indigo dress that fell just above her knees. A bright, turquoise sash was wrapped around her delicate waist while a crescent moon emblem held the sash firm around her toned middle. Fingerless, black gloves stripped in silver spirals covered her arms to her elbows while sheer, pale blue fabric hung from the gloves and almost dangled to the floor. Leggings smudged with black, azure, and turquoise covered her legs and finally, droopy witch hat sat upon her head while long sapphire tresses traveled down her back._

" _It is about time you woke up. I was starting to think that you wouldn't ever have the courage to face me," the female intruder stated, staring at Aqua through the mirror._

_The pupils within Aqua’s eyes dilated. The woman looked_ just _like her. The woman was her doppelganger… She was the Black Mage._

_The Black Mage licked her lips and applied more gaudy purple lipstick to her supple mouth. Aqua hadn't noticed their resemblance at first because of all the makeup caked onto the mage's face._

_Ice blue eye shadow was spread all around her sapphire eyes and a few mystical, jewel like accessories were attached to her cheeks and around her fierce eyes. Ornaments in varying shades of blue were also placed in the bangs that framed her face. As Aqua inspected her face, she noticed another crescent moon emblem was placed on the side of the hat as well._

" _We both knew that you would have to confront me sooner or later." The mage turned to face Aqua with a wicked smile on her lovely face._

_Her dress was very low-cut but she wore an unusual undergarment covered in twirling patterns of black and sea green to keep some sliver of modesty. A gem the color of her eyes was embedded in the center of the garment while oversized, circular earrings dangled to her shoulders. The Black Mage was over decorated, but somehow Aqua knew that, that was the intention. She exuded immense, mystical power and supremacy._

" _I don't know what you are talking about," Aqua replied with a shake of her head._

" _Of course, you don't." The Black Mage scoffed, "How did I know you would say something like that?"_

" _I could take a wild guess…" Aqua hissed under her breath._

" _Let's not play games, shall we? I would rather cut to the chase so that we can move on and be done with this whole inner conflict bullshit we have going on."_

_Aqua's eyes widened when she heard her curse. Aqua never swore and it shocked her to see her twin do so._

" _Your life would be so much easier if you would just stop moping around and feeling sorry for yourself." The witch crossed her legs._

" _I'm not moping, I'm confused!”_

" _Just give into it and you won't have to be confused anymore." The sorceress casually adjusted the sheer fabric of her dress around her legs._

_Aqua looked away and chose not to reply._

_Silver heels clicked on the floor as the enchantress approached Aqua and sat on the bed next to her. She took Aqua's face in her hands and compelled her to look at her. The witch's nails were long and coated in purple polish and Aqua could feel them graze her skin._

" _Trust me, Aqua. I'm here to make it all better," the Black Mage hummed melodically, stroking her thumbs against the virtuous skin of Aqua's cheeks._

" _I-I can't," she whispered. "It isn't that simple. If I become the Black Mage…I will slaughter thousands… I can't massacre the innocent… I cannot butcher my people…"_

" _A noble cause," the mage scoffed. "But do you really think they are still_ your _people? They will condemn you just like that poor girl from Mist did. They will hate you for what you have done."_

" _I haven't_ **done** _anything!"_

" _And by not doing anything you have betrayed your people. They will never understand us, Aqua. You are guilty by association. Even if you didn't do anything, to them you will_ **always** _be the Overlords' little rehabilitation subject. The tainted. The corrupt. A risk. A hazard. They will never be able to truly trust you.”_

_The words hurt because they were true. A year ago she would have judged rehabilitation subjects mercilessly. They would have been traitors in her eyes._

" _You will die a traitor or you can serve those that will no longer judge you." The Black Mage tempted continued to stroke Aqua's face._

" _I can't serve them. I can't," the Keyblade wielder whimpered and held her head down._

" _You still want to escape. You want to see your friends and family again. We have already discussed this, Aqua. Even if the Overlords_ do _offer you your freedom, what would you do with it? Live among those who will blight and curse and damn you to the deepest bowels of Darkness? They can't trust you! They_ **won't** _trust you! You have steeped in Darkness for too long!" the enchantress wailed and threw her arms in vexation, the blue fabric that hung from her gloved arms flailing in the air._

" _Stop it," Aqua pleaded and held her head in her hands._

_The witch was controlling the room's temperature. The temperature dropped as her temper flared and Aqua was starting to see her own breath._

" _It would be different if you had only been here a days or weeks, but you forget you have lived here for months," the Black Mage spat._

" _I haven't forgotten that! How can I forget that I have lived in a never-ending nightmare for almost a year!" Aqua screamed and raised her head to glare at her double._

" _Oh, Aqua, you are so overdramatic. It hasn't been_ **that** _bad. You have had Terra and even the annoying brat Roxas, but let's be honest, you would much rather be with Terra than Roxas now. You hardly ever go anywhere with Roxas anymore."_

_It was true, so Aqua again chose not to offer a reply._

" _I know you are apprehensive about taking lives, but the first kill is always the worst. After that, it becomes much easier. Before you know it it will become second nature to you. And you will have Terra to help you through the first few kills." The witch gave a knowing smirk._

_Silence._

" _You just need to think of Terra as…an instructor," she continued and placed some of Aqua's hair behind her ear for her and brushed her bangs off of her angelic face. "Let him guide and coach you. You can learn a lot from him. You have already learned a lot from him, and you could learn even more from him if you wanted. Terra can teach you how to be an appropriate tool for our Masters_ **and** _he can even teach you how to behave in between the sheets."_

_Aqua's eyes widened and her face flushed. "You shouldn't talk about such things."_

" _Don't act vain. You can pull that completely innocent act on everyone else, but you can't fool yourself. We both know that you have wondered what he would be like in bed. You wonder if he can put that perfectly sculpted body to good use. I assure you, he can," the look-alike insisted as if she knew from experience._

" _Maybe I have, but that doesn't change anything. You still shouldn't talk that way," Aqua insisted, still blushing._

" _You know, you could love Terra if you would just let yourself." The enchantress poked at the sensitive spot again._

" _That is enough," Aqua hissed. She didn't like where this conversation had ended up._

" _You could. We both know you could."_

" _No, I can't. I can never love him. I can't love Terra. I_ **could** _do a lot of things but that doesn't mean that I will." Aqua swatted the sorceress' foul hands out of her hair._

" _Then why was his name the first word you uttered when you awoke?"_

" _I was curious. He was there when I went to sleep and I was wondering if he was still in the room," Aqua countered and stubbornly crossed her arms._

" _Fine. You win. I didn't come here to talk about our love life or lack there of anyway." The realistic replica waved her regal hands dismissively._

" _Why_ **did** _you come here?" Aqua asked, her brow furrowing._

" _I wanted to ask you something." The Black Mage smiled impishly._

" _Ask it and get out," Aqua growled. She hated this version of herself._

" _You need to ask yourself…would serving be so bad? You won't have to lose Terra so you won't have to worry about missing him and you can be the most powerful, magical entity in the world."_ _The Black Mage held Aqua's hands in her own as their identical, piercing blue eyes bored into each other._ " _You can live and thrive in this luxurious world of palaces and wealth and you will never have to worry about being oppressed again.”_

" _With your unmatched power you could even overthrow the Overlords themselves if you set your mind to it. You could even get revenge. Teach them a lesson for rehabilitating you and turning you into the ultimate magic machine. Turn their little project against them." The Black Mage squeezed her hands, trying to appeal to Aqua's deep-rooted resentment and disdain of the Dark Rule._

" _I couldn't do that. No matter how much I hate them… I wouldn't be able to do something that diabolical," replied Aqua, her eyes cold and distant._

" _But you have thought about it. You have put it on your long list of options. It was one of your back up plans in case you_ **do** _become the Black Mage."_

" _Sure, but I would never actually do it. I'm not like you." Aqua yanked her hands out of the mage’s clutches._

" _You're right. You aren't like me," the Black Mage said with a shrug. "You_ **are** _me."_

_Blinding white lights filled Aqua's perspective and when they cleared, the Black Mage was gone._

_Relief resonated within her as she pulled back her covers and walked to the vanity where her doppelgänger had been seated. A glowing Keyblade made of pure, sapphire crystal was propped against the dressing table. The Keyblade called forth an eerie, azure glow while ice chipped off of its contours and blue lightning crackled around the cobalt gems that jutted from the Keyblade's apex._

_Porcelain hands gripped the Keyblade's hilt but the elements crackling inside and around the abnormal weapon did not harm her. Her eyes rose to the dressing table mirror and the Black Mage peered back at her, mimicking her actions. They both held the immoral Keyblade and watched the each other with fearful eyes. Meekly, she reached out to touch the reflection and realized her hand was covered in a fingerless glove that rose to her elbows. She was in an indigo dress and a witch hat sat upon her head._

**"You are me…and I am you…"**

* * *

Limbs flailed and blue eyes wretched open. Frantically, Aqua sat up in bed and peered across the room toward the dressing table.

The Black Mage was not seated at the table and her reflection was her own. She wasn't the Black Mage. She was a pale girl with dark circles under her weary eyes wearing a thin white slip with lacy, cyan trim.

Sighing heavily, she gazed to the foot of her bed. Terra was still there. The Dark Knight was fast asleep at the foot of her bed, lying on his stomach sleeping off his night of drinking.

Aqua watched Terra's muscular back rise and fall with each intense breath he drew. Even in sleep, his breathing was forceful. Everything about Terra's body screamed strength and might, but his face was peaceful. Brown strands of hair swept across his striking features and she wanted to touch him. Something about the way he looked made her heart ache. She _longed_ to touch him.

_Maybe Terra can keep the dreams away. Maybe he can keep my subconscious from torturing me in my sleep and my thoughts from tormenting me while I'm awake,_ she thought as she slowly slid out of her covers and crawled toward him.

Unmindful fingertips timidly touched the skin of his dirty cheek as if his tanned flesh would scald her if she applied too much pressure. The knight's skin was soft despite his lifestyle.

Curiosity proved victorious and Aqua's hand flattened against Terra's warm cheek. She felt his sultry breath on her thumb and his body heat seeping into the sensitive palm of her hand. Her thumb slowly caressed the corner of his mouth and the side of his cheek.

_What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?_

"Probably," she faintly whispered the reply to her inner voice.

He just looked so…enticing… She couldn't help herself. It was simple. Her body wanted to touch him, so she did despite her better judgment. Aqua's body yearned for Terra in strange ways and no amount of hatred or resentment could change that fact.

Perhaps it was the extreme sleep deprivation that made her crave the warmth that only the knight could provide. Her body wanted him to melt her then drink her up so she could provide him nourishment. It lusted for acts that it had never experienced but somehow knew Terra could fulfill any need it could ever have.

_Maybe he can make it all better… He can help me forget again…just for a little while…_

Aqua moved his arm out from under him, shifted his heavy body to the side, and took her rightful place his arms.

"Hmm," Terra's magnificent voice sounded and his broad chest rumbled. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Aqua burrowed into his unwilling arms and nestled her face in his steel-plated chest. She was so lonely any body would do. Her memories and her dreams constantly hurt her. She longed for companionship, she longed for happiness, she ached for any kind of comfort and Terra was the only person who could give it to her. Terra was all she had…

As if he could read her mind, his arms enveloped her and held her to him just as she had wanted him to. The Child of Light didn't touch him with her hands but she did lean into him before she rested her clenched fists on the armor he wore. For some reason she didn't mind him wearing it as long as he held her.

"Here, let me at least take my chest plate off," he grumbled as he released her and sat up in order to remove his protective covering.

The instant he removed the upper portions of his armor, Aqua quickly regained her place against him. Her face pressed against his chest and he rubbed slow circles against her back, massaging the bare skin between her shoulder blades.

Eventually, his hands stilled and he pulled her even closer to his body before his hands took a permanent place on the curve of her back.

Tired, baby blue eyes finally fluttered shut as she listened to the immaculate lullaby Terra's healthy heartbeat sang to her.

* * *

Terra swiftly ran through the halls of Tarnen Palace, his metal body clanking and his dusky cape rolling wildly behind him. He was in a hurry to get to Aqua's room. It was late and he had been sent on another lengthy mission, but he wanted to check on her before she fell asleep.

_"Off to see Aqua?"_

Terra’s pursuit came to an abrupt halt and he turned to see Xemnas in the hallway adjacent to his.

"Yeah," the knight admitted breathlessly after giving a quick bow to his sovereign.

"Aqua's rehabilitation will be up soon and because of that, I want you to take something into consideration." The Overlord mentioned regally approached the Dark Knight.

Terra’s brown brow rose in skepticism and he fought the impulse to scoff or roll his eyes. He really didn't want to deal with or even talk about this.

"There is a possibility Aqua will not choose to stay here, so you need to ask yourself something," Xemnas began confidently as he masterfully prepared to tug at Terra's invisible puppet strings. "Can you let her go? If you cannot, then you have gotten too attached to her."

The Overlord put it simply and did not wait for Terra's response or reply; that was for Terra alone to ponder.

Terra frowned as he watched his monarch's fleeting form disappear down the hallway.

The Overlord’s implications had skillfully hit their mark and Terra began to reflect on the ominous question.

Of course he could let her go. He could let her go whenever he wanted to. It just so happened that he didn't want to yet. That was all.

The question was dismissed, pushed to the back of his mind and the Dark Knight chose to focus instead on the task at hand. He continued his journey to Aqua's room, but at a leisurely pace.

Metal boots weighed down by confusion and unrest lazily stomped the lush, blood red carpet. He no longer felt like running. The mysterious weight on his back was too heavy...

_'Can you let her go?'_

Terra took a deep breath before firmly knocking on Aqua's door.

_"Come in.”_

Her tone was promising. Terra desperately hoped that she was in a good mood. He loathed her almost chronic sadness that was becoming more and more frequent. Grief and sorrow were becoming her constant companions and almost nothing could shake them.

Gently, the Dark Knight opened her door to find her sitting at her desk working on what she had dubbed a Wayfinder.

"Look!" she called excitedly as she rose to her feet and ran to him with a beautiful, radiant smile on her face.

_'Can you let her go?'_

"I finished!" Aqua announced proudly before holding the charm out from him to inspect.

Because the charm was important to her, he decided to humor her and inspect the worthless trinket. He placed his fingertips on the bottom of the good luck charm and angled it toward him.

It was an unusual charm in the shape of a star. Five pieces of blue stain glass were used to form the five corners of the star while brown twine held the pieces together. The glass pieces were outlined in silver while a silver heart rested in its center, securely holding all the pieces together.

Midnight blue eyes narrowed as he inspected the heart. It was familiar. The bizarre heart shape taunted his memories while he tried to figure out where he had seen that unique heart design before.

_It is from your dream, dumbass. Dream Aqua wore a necklace with that same exact heart-shaped design. What am I psychic?! Apparently, I was supposed to be a fucking Seer Sage not a Dark Knight,_ he mused.

"It's cute," he said with a forced smile.

_'Can you let her go?'_

He had been in a good mood until Xemnas slaughtered it with stupid advice. Now he was downright melancholy. That ignorant question was gnawing at his insides and he couldn't seem to make it stop. He could let her go…right? He wasn't too attached… Sure, he loved her but he wasn't a complete bumbling idiot. If he had to, he could let her go. Couldn't he?

* * *

"There is no end to this!" Riku groused as he violently wretched his Keyblade out of another dark being's corpse.

Since the small party had entered the rotting woods surrounding Hallow Bastion, they had done nothing but combat the dark monsters that lurked in the murky shadows of the towering trees.

They stood silent as they listened to see if another attack was about to commence.

The sun was setting and the fiends were getting harder and harder to see and it was causing everyone to get paranoid.

"Okay. I think that was the last one." Ventus exhaled and ran his fingers though his messy, blonde hair. "We should be good for a while."

"What are those things?" Naminé sat back down on one of the logs they had placed around their dying campfire and began rubbing her aching arms.

The blonde girl was sore from continuously casting a very feeble form of Holy. She didn't wield a Keyblade, but this allowed her to focus on magic, specifically white magic. She was the group's white magic ‘expert’. She could cast Cure and Holy but everything else was lost on her.

Her powers were odd; she could only cast two spells, one of which was the highest form of white magic. Her abilities had baffled Master Eraqus. He had never seen another case of an individual being able to skip most of the white magic basics in order to cast Holy. Naminé couldn't explain it. She just knew how to cast it and now that they were fighting beings made of darkness it provided them with a major advantage.

"Dark Rule monsters I’m sure," Riku said, rubbing the sweat off the back of his neck.

"It’s almost like they are guarding the city." Xion took a seat next to Naminé and stabbed her Keyblade into the ground.

"I'm sure that is exactly what they are doing," Ventus stated as he tossed a stick into their pitiful fire. "Probably another sneaky way they keep unwanted visitors out of the _sacred_ capital."

"They are going to need more than annoying monsters to keep us out," Riku sneered, adrenaline still pumping through his veins, making him cocky. He hadn't felt cocky in months and he was going to enjoy the sensation while it lasted.

"Okay. So we agree?" he asked.

Ven sighed. "I guess. We don't have many options, but if anything happens to Xion while you two are in that Light forsaken city, I will forever hold you personally responsible,” He threatened, pointing harshly at the Dark Keyblade Master.

"I can take care of myself," the raven-haired girl insisted. "I wouldn't have agreed to go into the capital with Riku if I didn't want to or if I felt that I couldn't handle it. Plus, I am the only one who can cast a Sleep spell strong enough to put the lower ranking guards who are guarding the Outer Gardens gate to sleep."

Every night they carefully surveyed the area so they could properly plan the escape, and every night, Xion had practiced putting the low ranking guards to sleep. It was a crucial part of their escape plan. She and Riku would never be able to get into the city undetected unless the guards were put to sleep.

"Xion can also pass for a citizen of the Dark Realm. Her dark hair and features won't stand out as much as yours or Naminé's," Riku added while wiping blackened blood off of his Keyblade.

"So there aren't blonde people in the Dark Realm?" a skeptical Naminé inquired.

"There are but dark hair is a dominant trait in general. If they identify Xion as a fugitive, she will be harder to track since there are more people with dark hair. It will slow the tracking process and will give us more time. She will probably blend in more and they won't be as quick to jump to conclusions or grow suspicious of her either."

"Naminé and I will wait out here and provide backup. If we don't hear from you or if you two aren't back in three days, on the fourth, we will come in after you," Ventus added.

"Do you have enough munny to stay at the Inn?" the golden-haired girl asked, her blue eyes darting between Xion and Riku.

"Yeah, we have enough for three days, but hopefully, we can find Aqua and sneak back out before that," Xion responded with a nod.

"We will survey the outer walls of the city and watch for you guys. If push comes to shove, we will force our way in and fight our way back out. They can't stop all five of us," Ventus continued, his electric blue eyes scanning the decaying woods for more dark beings after he thought he heard a noise.

"Aqua has lived there for almost a year. Hopefully, she knows some things that can help all three of you sneak back out again," Naminé said optimistically.

Their plan was faulty with lots of holes and risks, but it was what they thought would be best. They couldn't waste any more time on planning. They had to act and they had to act soon. The longer Aqua was in there, the more likely it would be that she wouldn't want to leave at all or be alive to leave.

* * *

The sounds of chirping birds and the steady hiss of the fountains sounded on the other side of the door. They were the sounds of early spring. Terra understood what the sounds meant. She was on her balcony. Again.

He didn’t knock. He knew she would not hear him even if he did.

Just as he expected, Aqua was perched on the ledge of her balcony. The knight knew she was pretending to be somewhere else, _anywhere_ but where she actually was. He instantly began to wonder if they had overestimated her will to survive the rehabilitation.

Silently and almost apprehensively, he approached the opened doorway that led to her patio. Terra removed his helmet and tossed it onto her bed before his eyes gravitated toward her.

Aqua's dazzling eyes are distant, sad, and full of yearning. Terra instantly envied the sky and the horizon for coaxing that kind of look from her. He couldn't count the number of times he had wanted her to look at him with eyes full of desire and hunger. He wanted her to yearn for him, but the only thing he had ever seen her long for was the horizon and the sky. She only yearned for freedom.

The Child of Light sensed him and her head turned, a feeble, forged smile blossoming on her flawless features when their eyes locked.

Terra removed his scowl and offered his own half grin in return.

Gracefully, Aqua leapt down from her perch and walked toward him.

"How are you today?" he asked even though he knew the answer.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I am…just kind of homesick."

_Predictable,_ Terra thought scornfully.

"Aqua, you know that this could be your new home." Terra grabbed her hand in his and held the limp appendage to his chest.

Aqua watched the gesture with detached eyes and emotionless features.

"I know it isn't the same, but I know you could be happy here…" Terra implored and held her hand to the thundering vital organ in his chest, "…with me…and just…"

He smiled at her and desperately tried to convince her to be happy, to be with him.

She had gotten the implications. Her eyes had widened at his words and she watched him curiously, but she was still withdrawn and distant. She offered no response. She was rejecting him.

_And just be completely fucking miserable,_ he finished privately.

He could feel her slipping through his fingers and he could not let that happen. He was wrong. Couldn’t let her go. He couldn’t bear losing her. He had to do something, anything that might convince her to stay with him.

Anxious hands wormed around Aqua's slender, porcelain neck and pulled her towards him. Terra closed his stinging eyes and forcefully yet tenderly seized Aqua's lips with his own.

Her eyes widened and dilated before an unusual noise that sounded like a cross between a moan and a whimper crawled out of her throat. Shaking ivory hands fell to Terra's biceps so she could push him away but she never followed through with the action. Aqua only closed her eyes and took Terra's new and unusual form of assault.

The Dark Knight wasn't moving. He was kissing her chastely while he waited for one of two things to occur: a sign to stop or a sign to continue. He waited for her to pull away, he waited for her to shove him, slap him, and yell at him, but she never did.

A shiver consumed the delicate neck in his oversized hands as he stroked it with his hot fingertips and Aqua's cool lips lightly moved against his.

That was his sign.

He took initiative and turned their prolonged peck into a full-blown kiss. He pulled her closer and used her neck to angle her head up so he could deepen the kiss further.

Her eyes squeezed tighter as Terra intensified their actions. She gripped and lightly clawed at the armor that covered the powerful man's biceps as she slightly tilted her head to the side for him. His lips flowed over her mouth and he took turns capturing her top and bottom lip with his own while Aqua willingly moved with him, accepting each caress of his burning mouth.

Terra had never felt anything like this. A kiss had never held such intimacy or depth. It felt better than he ever could have imagined. He felt complete, he felt whole. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered; all the turmoil, all the frustration, all the pain, none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was Aqua.

Each stroke was more intimate and intense than the last, but the kiss didn’t have a fast pace. It was slow, precise, potent.

He wanted her closer. He _needed_ her closer. Gingerly, Terra's hands left her neck and found her waist.

Powerful and confident arms wrapped around Aqua's toned midriff before they pulled her body flush to his. Terra's sultry, skilled mouth never stopped its ministrations as he captured her body and compressed it completely to his. He could multitask. He had managed much more than this before but his mind had never been this muddled or this overwhelmed. Their bodies pressed so firmly against each other that Terra knew if he drew her any closer she would completely meld into him.

Terra's lips smothered Aqua's while hers entwined and softly twisted against his masterfully. They were made for each other he just knew it. There was no way someone could be more perfect for him. Then, a painful thought emerged. Just because she was perfect for him didn't mean that he was perfect for her…

He needed to pull away soon. This shouldn't be happening at all, much less for this long. He was sobering. Reality made his chest burn and contort into a painful entanglement.

The knight gave Aqua one more caress with his searing lips as he tenderly rubbed her lower back and the sides of her hips.

Eventually, his hands regretfully left her body. Their lips unhurriedly separated and their heavy, hazy eyes gradually reopened.

Terra slowly and reluctantly pulled away from her and waited for the scolding he would surely receive for violating her in such a way.

The spell was broken and Aqua was suddenly able to think again.

Blinking rapidly, she brought her shaking fingertips to her now scalding mouth.

What did they just do? What had just happened?

The Keyblade Master walked to her bed and plopped down onto its flaccid surface. He rested his elbows on his knees and watched her touch her lips in bewilderment as if he had severely burned her.

"Y-You shouldn't have done that," she whispered once she had retrieved her voice.

"No." He laughed darkly and sarcastically as he shook his head dejectedly. "Probably not."

Aqua licked her lips and held her hands over her pounding, frenzied heart. "You… You should… You should go."

"Yeah," Terra instantly complied and left the room.


	21. You Call It Madness, I Call It Love

* * *

_Are you hurting the one you love?_

When they watched the walls, and the ticking clock.

Are you hurting the one you love?

And was it something you could not stop.

Are you hurting the one you love?

When you leave them sleeping on the hollow ground.

Are you hurting the one you love?

And lost for themselves.

Are you hurting the one you love?

And if heaven knows then who will stop.

Are you hurting the one you love?

_-Are You Hurting the One You Love, Florence + the Machine_

* * *

The knight was avoiding her. He was avoiding her and it bothered her. It shouldn't bother her, but it did.

Aqua hadn't seen Terra since the morning he came to take her to her lesson and they kissed. They kissed...

She groaned at the memory and buried her face in her white pillow in frustration.

The kiss had complicated things. It was why he was ignoring her and why he hadn't coming to visit her anymore. She couldn't really say that she blamed him. She’d told him to leave and he did. Technically, he was just doing what she told him to…for a prolonged period of time. It had been two days and she hadn't seen or heard from him at all.

Aqua missed him. She would admit it. She didn't want to but she did. She missed talking to him, she missed seeing him, she missed having him in her bed, and she even missed fighting with him!

The Light Keyblade wielder wanted him to at least come and scowl at her. It would be better than being ignored.

"It's official. I'm nuts," she told herself as she roughly rolled onto her back and started staring at the elaborate canopy of snowy fabric above her.

_I wonder what the others would think if they knew I kissed a Dark Knight. He kissed me and I kissed him back and I didn't even slap him afterwards!_

' _So guys…I kissed Terra the other day,' she would confess._

' _Oh, well…um… That is…nice?' Namin_ _é_ _would reply apprehensively._

' _Please tell me you didn't.' Ven would wince._

' _Oh! Um… Was it good? Is he a good kisser?' Kairi would ask excitedly and curiously, trying to be optimistic and understanding._

' _Why would you do that?' Xion would question skeptically._

' _Wow,' Riku would say with a loud, sarcastic laugh._

' _No way!' Sora would exclaim after laughing with Riku._

_And Master Eraqus… The Master wouldn't say anything. He would just shake his head in disappointment._

Tentative fingers touched her violated lips. She was ashamed and embarrassed because she hadn't _hated_ kissing Terra. That fact made the kiss worse. It would be different if she’d hated it and had slapped him or pushed him away, but she didn't. She had let go and had let herself get lost in him. Regretfully, it felt good to have her senses filled with nothing but him…his smell, his touch, and his warmth…

The real question was why? Why didn't she hate it? She cared about Terra…but she didn't _care_ about him…did she?

Eyes like water glanced at the vacant place in bed beside her.

Her bed was cold. It was cold without him in it. Even when he wasn't holding her and simply laying next to her, his heat filled the bed. It probably wouldn't have the same effect on anyone else. Not many people had a body temperature like hers. Blizzard was her element and it made Terra's normal body temperature feel like an inferno. She could use that inferno, it was time for another dose of magic suppressant and her body was fighting off what remained in her bloodstream. She was freezing and she wanted her guardian to ward off the cold…

' _You know, you could love Terra if you would just let yourself,'_ the Black Mage taunted causing Aqua to shake her head aggressively as if it would remove the thought.

Aqua had thought she was in love before. As a child, she had thought she loved Ven, but that was just a childhood crush that developed because he was the only boy she knew for a long time. It quickly faded with age. She couldn't even begin think about Ventus that way now.

Then, she thought she loved Zack…before he ran off to join the Opposition… But what she had felt for Zack didn't feel like _this_. What she was feeling for Terra couldn't be love, could it? The ache and torment she felt couldn't possibly be a remnant or an indication of love.

_Love doesn’t feel like this, does it?_

Groaning again, she rolled onto her side. Her dressing table mirror caught her attention and she scampered out of bed even though she had been avoiding mirrors like plague since her horrid nightmare about the Black Mage.

Aqua timidly stood in front of the oversized mirror and inspected herself.

The girl looking back at her had long, sapphire hair that cascaded below her breasts and sparkling cobalt eyes. She wore a thin white slip with slender straps that wrapped around her delicate, ivory shoulders.

Why would Terra _want_ to kiss her? She always thought that he found her…plain. She always assumed that he thought there was nothing special about her. Sure, it was obvious that he had grown to care about her but she never suspected it ran _that_ deep. He had even told her she wasn't his type! Granted, that was practically another lifetime ago but he still said it.

Terra liked girls like Larxene. Girls who wore elegant dresses, girls who were arrogant, girls who were aggressive and took what they wanted when they wanted it, girls who could still be submissive despite their vigorous attitudes, and girls who weren't tainted by Light…

Aqua shifted and angled her body for inspection.

She wasn’t built like Larxene. Her hips weren't as pronounced and her bust was bigger than the Seer Sage's. Her waist was smaller and she was more slender than the blonde woman.

Aqua was nothing like Larxene…

_Stop being such a girl! Are you really doing this? Do you actually_ **want** _him to want you? Do you want him to be attracted to you?! Really!?_ her mind screeched before she mentally slapped herself across the face for being a complete, demented idiot.

"You’re sick, Aqua," she informed her reflection before she scurried to her closet.

She pulled out some clothes to wear to her lesson. Terra obviously wasn't coming today either, so she might as well get ready and go herself.

Aqua threw on a high collared, navy blue dress that fell to her knees, slipped black leggings up her legs, and threw on a pair of silver heels. After she put her shoes on, she slid lacy, bell sleeves up to her elbows to cover her forearms and more importantly, her scars. Finally, she wrapped a pink sash around her lower waist and let it hang on her hips, its fabric billowing on each side of her hips, its neat bow resting on her lower back.

Quickly, Aqua ran her fingers though her hair in front of the mirror and made sure she was somewhat presentable. She was running late and she didn't really have time to brush her hair. And If she was late, Ansem would never let her hear the end of it and he might execute her on the spot. Ansem hated her and wanted her dead, she just knew it.

"Terra, you really picked a fine time to leave me alone with these stupid lessons. You just _had_ to wait until I was required to spend the week with Ansem! You just had to kiss me the week I have lessons with Ansem!" she cursed him as if he could hear her as she grabbed her Wayfinder off her dressing table and made her way out of her room.

The Child of Light confidently walked down the vermillion hallways and some of the guards actually acknowledged her by name while others still turned their noses up at her.

_Can't please everyone, I guess…_

During the time she spent walking to the Grand Hall, she seriously started to wonder why she was even going. No one was making her go, but here she was, _willingly_ going to a lesson without an escort.

Maybe she went out of habit. Maybe she went because she was going crazy in her room. Maybe she wanted a distraction. Maybe she was hoping she would run into Terra on her journey through the palace. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything else to do.

"Welcome, Aqua," one of the faceless guards protecting the gargantuan, ebony doors that let to the Grand Hall greeted her politely.

"Hello," she replied with a tiny smile.

Aqua wasn't opposed to being kind to those who showed her true kindness even if they were from the Dark Realm and served the Dark Rule. She had begun accepting any form of kindness she could receive no matter whom it was from. There was no point in being rude to those who were nice to her, and this guard was one of the few who showed her kindness. She didn't know his name nor had she ever seen his face but she could almost recognize his voice. He had probably greeted her countless times before.

"Ansem is inside waiting for you." He nodded for the other guard to help him open the oversized doors.

"Thank you," she replied before slowly entering the enormous room.

The Grand Hall was the only room she might hate more than Vexen's lab.

Lord Ansem was in his throne with one of his ankles resting on the opposite knee. His elbow rested on the throne's ruby armrest, his clenched, gloved fist pressing lazily into his cheek.

When Aqua reached the steps that let to the unholy trinity's thrones, she curtsied as best she could. She still hadn't gotten the whole curtsy thing down yet, but she was trying. Aqua was very graceful and poised, but somehow, a simply curtsy was a struggle…

Ansem snickered at her pitiful attempt. "Always the little Light peasant."

"My Lord." Aqua did her best to disguise the scorn that burbled behind her greeting.

"You are late, Larxene," the Overlord snarled.

_Larxene?_ She panicked, the sound of deadly heels dully clicking against the bloodstained walkway behind her.

"The Light peasant arrived before you. You should be ashamed of yourself," Lord Ansem chastised flatly as Larxene stood next to Aqua and did a perfect curtsy.

If Ansem wouldn't use it as an excuse to execute her where she stood, Aqua would have rolled her eyes.

"I have nothing else to teach you, girl," Ansem informed emotionlessly, his orange eyes shifting back to Aqua. "That is why you are going to spend the day with Larxene and your future comrades. And by future comrades, I don’t mean Terra and Roxas."

_No, thank you._

"It’s time you became better acquainted with the others and got out from under Terra's protective covering. If you are a success, you will be expected to interact and work with all the Dark Knights and Seer Sages, not just those that you have preference for. Today will be a... _social_ lesson for you. Enjoy yourself," the monarch informed with an amused smirk on his wicked face.

"You are dismissed." Ansem waved his hand in dismissal.

Aqua and Larxene curtsied causing Ansem to jeer at Aqua again.

* * *

"Why so glum, Aqua?" Larxene's velvety voice inquired. "Is there something that is troubling you?"

The Keyblade wielder shook her head and twiddled her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

After Larxene had projected into her mind, Aqua had promised herself that she would do everything humanly possible to avoid having it happen again. Personally, Aqua would rather play mind games with Zexion or have Marluxia's slimy tentacles slither into her ears. She might even prefer Marluxias invisible scythe through her skull than have Larxene electrocute her brain again. Marluxia only hurt if you resisted him, but Larxene was agony either way.

"Are you feeling awful about tinkering with Terra's feelings?" the seeress inquired innocently, peered over her shoulder at her.

"Y-You know about that?" Aqua winced.

"If you mean the kiss, then yes." Larxene folded her arms over her practically exposed chest. The charcoal dress she wore that day had a neckline that almost plunged to her navel.

"And I wasn't _tinkering_ with his feelings. He kissed me. I—"

"I know what happened. He kissed you. You kissed back then shot him down."

"I-I didn't… I did but I-I just…" Aqua found that she couldn't explain herself.

"It's all right, bluebird. You don't have to explain yourself. It’s his own fault for trying to shove his tongue down your throat when you obviously didn't want him to. I mean, it’s obvious you don't harbor those kinds of feelings for him," Larxene said casually. "You’ll just have to excuse him. Terra is very spoiled and used to getting his way with women. You’re probably the first girl to ever turn him down."

The blue girl wanted to argue that she didn't turn him down. She let him kiss her. She just wanted him to leave afterwards… The details didn't matter. She just didn't want to talk about it anymore, especially not with Larxene.

The Seer Sage led Aqua out to the Center Square where Saïx, Axel, and Demyx lazily conversed with one another next to one of the many flowerbeds within the square. They weren’t wearing their helmets, but their bodies were still adorned in their armor.

Saïx was propped against one of the walls of the square that held a gushing fountain while Axel sprayed across the ground on his back. And finally, Demyx completed the circle by sitting upright, closest to the vibrant flowerbed.

Aqua was relieved to see that Vanitas wasn't going to be a part of her _social lesson_ but was frightened by Larxene's unnatural ability to know where the knights would be and when they would be there.

"Hello, boys. Aqua is going to be joining you today." Larxene elegantly sat down next to Axel and coarsely yanked Aqua to the ground beside her.

Aqua squeaked as she fell, and once she was flat on the ground, she uncomfortably shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Joy," Saïx grumbled under his breath. "I’m assuming this is rehabilitation shit and that I’m not allowed to leave?"

Aqua held her head down, letting her hair curtain around her to hide her face. She instantly felt like a burden. She also knew that Saïx was one of the many that flat-out hated her and thought she was a colossal waste of time.

"Hmm, you can, I suppose, but I will tell Ansem if you do. He will be displeased to hear that you haven't spent time with her. He wants all of us to get to know her better since we will be working together in the future," Larxene replied, inspecting her nails.

"Axel?" Aqua said softly, coaxing a surprised look out of Larxene and Saïx. Neither of them had expected her to speak so soon.

Axel's red brow rose under his hood in silent acknowledgement.

"Have you seen Terra?"

"What’s it to you?" he snarled, his green eyes glowing ominously under the shadows of his oversized hood as he glared at her.

Aqua shrugged. She didn't have a good answer.

"Yeah. I have seen him." Axel he sat up with a sigh, the intensity in his eyes fading, his tone no longer clipped.

"Is he okay?" she asked, poorly veiled concern woven in her words.

"Yeah. He’s fine," the knight responded curtly.

Aqua nodded. That was all she needed to know.

"Why do you not know how he is? You two are attached at the hip," Saïx hissed, his scarred brow furrowed.

"She broke his heart," Larxene answered for Aqua. "I'd say more like smashed it really."

The Child of Light's face heated. She didn't want to discuss this with Dark Knights who clearly didn't care for her invading their space or their time off. Except maybe Demyx, he didn't seem to mind too much.

Aqua was starting to think she might like them better drunk. They were much friendlier that way. They were also nicer to her when Terra was around. They were probably afraid he would punch them if they were mean to her. They were right to assume that because he probably would.

"What’d you do?" Demyx asked dismissively, savagely ripping innocent flowers out of the bright flowerbed next to him.

"I—"

"Terra kissed her and she turned him down," Larxene answered for her yet again.

"I’m going to leave if this conversation doesn’t end immediately." Saïx scoffed and crossed his arms in annoyance, clearly not wanting to discuss anyone's love life.

_Yeah. I am_ **really** _going to 'enjoy myself'. Thanks, Ansem..._

* * *

 

"I look ridiculous," Riku complained as he adjusted the clothes he wore and resisted the urge to wipe the dried paint off his face.

He scrunched his face in discomfort while watching his deformed twin in the mirror.

"You don't look like you. That’s what's important." Xion adjusted the smoky robes he wore and carefully inspected his face again.

After they successfully snuck into the Dark Capital, they had bought local clothes, face paint, and temporary hair dye for Riku. They had spent the morning after they arrived in the Inn giving him a makeover.

Xion had desperately wished she had some of her sister's artistic skills when she had drawn red and pink scars on Riku's face. She supposed they looked realistic enough but she knew Naminé would have been able to do a much better job.

They had coated his hair in cheap, brown dye and covered his face in disfiguring scars that would hopefully let him go through the town undetected in case he was forced remove his hood.

So far they hadn’t seen any wanted posters of Riku in the unholy city. They hadn't seen any wanted pictures at all. Inside these walls, it was as if they were trying to ignore such things.

Xion knew that executions were sometimes held here and trials as well, but it seemed like the Overlords wanted their people happy…and they were. Children played, businesses thrived, families grew, flowers bloomed, and birds sang. The city itself was nothing like the rotting wood and decaying earth of the Dark Realm it existed within. It was like this city was sucking the life and beauty out of the world around it. While this major metropolis flourished, the rest of the Dark Realm spoiled and cankered.

"Ready to go?" Riku asked with a weak smile after she had finished applying his makeup for the day.

When he smiled, Xion laughed into her hands. He definitely didn't look like Riku and that was a good thing. She was proud of her makeup job that day. Third time was the charm she supposed. Each morning she got a little better but today would be the last day she applied it to his sun-kissed skin. They had to find Aqua soon. They had to. Ventus and Naminé would bust in the next day if they were unsuccessful and didn't report back. Even if they did report back and prolong their stay inside the city walls, it was only a matter of time before they would be forced to retreat from the city. Xion and Riku had managed to sneak in once but she wasn't sure if they would be able to again…

She sighed and held the dull gray fabric of his baggy tunic she had been adjusting. Absent-mindedly, she tried to smooth the permanent wrinkles of the dingy garment.

"As ready as I am going to be," she said softly and helped Riku pull his hood over his head to ensure that his face was only somewhat visible. Making him appear to be a burn victim had made people uncomfortable and they would avoid looking at him for too long. So far it had worked to their advantage.

Riku grabbed the cane they had bought for him and he opened the door for her.

Once they were in the Inn's hallway, he pulled his blindfold over his eyes, slouched, and began using his cane like he was visually impaired.

Xion walked closely to him, acting as an escort for the _‘blind man’._

"Excuse me?" Xion called politely when they reached the front desk of the Inn.

The same woman with chestnut hair and blue-gray eyes who had checked them in scurried to the desk.

"Are you and your brother checking out today?" the shockingly kind woman asked.

Xion was just as surprised by her kindness this time as she was the first. People in the Dark Capital weren’t supposed to be nice…but this woman was and it continually perplexed her.

The woman asking if she and her brother were checking out threw her off for a moment until she remembered that she and Riku had convinced the woman that he was her blind brother. Xion was too young to pass for Riku's wife or fiancée so they decided that he should pretend to be her brother so they could get a room together without raising any suspicion or gaining unwanted attention. Her "blind brother" would need to have her in the room with him. He wouldn't be able to fend for himself. That was the lie they had come up with anyway.

"Yes, we have to leave tonight," she answered truthfully with a meek grin.

Xion and Riku couldn't stay at one Inn for too long. Even if they did end up staying in Hollow Bastion longer than they originally anticipated, they needed to keep moving. They would have to stay at another Inn across town so people wouldn't become too acquainted with them. They had to remain anonymous and unidentifiable as a precaution to keep the Overlords and Dark Knights off their trail.

"Well, I wish you and your brother the best. It is really kind of you to help him get around and to help him take care of himself," the innkeeper commended.

"He isn't too much trouble. He isn't as helpless as he looks," Xion kidded with her ‘brother’.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Riku rasped, disguising his voice as he spoke. Keeping the illusion that he was a severe burn victim who had likely received enough damage to his face to cause him to slur and lisp.

"Of course," the kind woman said before the pair exited the inn.

"So, _brother,_ where should we start looking today?" Xion inquired, peering over at Riku.

"Might as well go through the Center Square and the Castle Town since we are so close. After that, we can try to get close to the palace again. Maybe we can get closer than we did yesterday," the Dark Keyblade Master replied and began using his walking stick to survey the ground in front of him.

Xion nodded and walked close to his side. They scanned the Castle Town for a young woman with blue hair to no avail, but when they reached the Center Square, Xion's heart dropped.

"Riku…" Xion gripped Riku's arm and pointed to the small circle of five sitting within the circular encasement of the Center Square.

Riku reached into his hood and lifted his blindfold so he could see better. He could use his dark abilities to see with the blindfold on but he could only see shadows, shapes, and auras.

Pale blue eyes darted from person to person until he saw her. It _was_ her… It was Aqua. They’d finally found her.

Xion's blue eyes widened as she held onto Riku's arm. She hardly recognized her foster-sister. If it wasn't for Aqua's unique features, Xion wouldn't have known it was Aqua at all.

Aqua sat amongst Dark Knights and an unknown blonde girl, her ivory legs tucked elegantly behind her. Her skin was made of fine-grained alabaster and her sapphire eyes were detached even though she flashed the occasional smile, smiles very unlike the ones Xion knew her to exude.

Aqua had always had fair, milky skin, but she was practically translucent now. It looked as though she rarely saw the light of day. She looked unhealthy even though she held herself regally. Her shoulders did not slouch at all and her dainty hands rested perfectly in her navy lap. Her slender, muscular build had faded and she had become curvier. She hadn’t gained weight but she had definitely lost her athletic figure. Tight, toned muscles no longer supported her frame as they had before. Xion automatically assumed she was barely let out of the palace and rarely practiced if she was allowed to practice at all. Aqua looked more like royalty or a noblewoman than a Keyblade wielder. She looked more like the blonde woman she sat next to…a citizen of the Dark Capital and a servant to the Dark Rule.

"Riku…" was all Xion could mutter. It was agony to be so close to her but to still be so helpless.

"Mona was right," he said hoarsely.

"I'm…almost afraid to speak to her…" she confessed. This Aqua intimidated her.

"We can't talk to her now anyway. We have to be patient and wait until she is _completely_ alone. The others might not recognize me but Saïx will. Maybe even with my disguise and I don't know who that blonde girl is, but I would bet munny she is probably a Seer Sage. If she is a Seer Sage, we definitely don't need to go anywhere _near_ her," Riku pulled his blindfold over her eyes. "Now that we have located Aqua we can follow her back to where she is staying. I assume she will go to the palace and when she does, we will have to figure out which wing she is staying in…and if she is staying alone. After that, whomever finds her can bust into her room and try to talk to her alone. Hopefully, she will agreed to come with us and we can get out of here before the sun rises.”

Xion nodded.

"Come on." He grabbed Xion's hand and pulled her back toward the crowd where they stood a better chance of blending in.

When the golden-haired nymph finally stood to leave, Aqua mimicked her actions. They spoke for a moment before they began walking toward Tarnen Palace.

"Wait here," Riku instructed before lurching toward the two girls.

"Hey! Stop! Are you mad? You can't go near them!" Xion tugged at his arm, desperately trying to stop him.

"I have to try something. I need a sign that she is still Aqua," he declared as he forcefully yanked his arm away from her.

Riku maneuvered through the crowd and positioned himself in the girls' path. When Aqua tried to shuffle around him, he purposely bumped into her and dropped his cane, giving the misconception that it was her fault.

A charm fell from her hands as Riku's staff fell to the ground with it.

"Oh!" Aqua exclaimed as she bumped into a hooded man.

Briefly, she glanced inside his hood, noticing he was a burn victim and that he was also blind. His injuries were probably the product of the Great War.

"I’m so sorry." Aqua knelt onto the ground to help him retrieve his cane.

Larxene rolled her emerald eyes and tapped her foot impatiently.

"I didn't mean to bump into you," The Child of Light explained as she retrieved her Wayfinder and the man's cane off the decorated ground. "I must not have been paying attention to where I was going."

Carefully, she grabbed the man's hand and placed his cane securely under his palm.

"Aqua!" Larxene hissed.

"Coming!" Aqua replied before giving the man's hand another gentle squeeze. "I apologize again. Excuse me."

"You are forgiven," he croaked and for a moment Aqua found him vaguely familiar. Something warm and forgotten bloomed inside of her at the sight of him, but that couldn’t be right. She didn't know a man with severe burns…

"Aqua, get over here _now_!" the seeress snarled and Aqua quickly scurried to her side.

Once the women were gone, Xion rushed to Riku's side. “Why did you do that? That was pointless, reckless, and really stupid!"

"No, it wasn't. I wanted to see how she would react and she reacted just like our Aqua would. She was kind and caring. I don't know how corrupt she is but she is rational enough for us to talk to her. I wanted to test the waters a bit before we tried to bust into that palace," the Dark Keyblade Master explained.

"You were testing her?" Xion inquired skeptically and refrained from knocking him upside the head for being so foolish.

"Mm-hmm. And she passed. I didn't want to endanger you if I thought it was a lost cause, I would go into the stronghold alone.”

"Even if it _was_ a lost cause you weren't going to get rid of me. I don't care how risky it is or how far gone she is. I am not leaving without at least talking to her and I might not even leave then," Xion vehemently insisted.

"I figured you would say something like that. I was just trying to look out for you in every way that I could. If she was entirely irrational, there wouldn't be a need for either of us to go into that Light forsaken palace and there _definitely_ wouldn't be a need for you to risk your life and freedom by trespassing on their vile grounds." Riku shook his head.

"I know what you were trying to do, but it isn't necessary. We have to help her and we have to talk to her, no matter what. I am not taking no for an answer. Even if she refuses, I will keep trying. We all will," Xion declared and Riku nodded his head in agreement.

"All right. Let's go."

* * *

 

Aqua rubbed her throbbing temples as she entered her room. Her afternoon with her _comrades_ had not been a pleasant one. It hadn't been fun at all and she quickly realized she didn't have much in common with her future associates. She didn't mind Axel and Demyx but she wasn't going to go out of her way to spend time with them. Truthfully, Axel still frightened her a bit. He was unpredictable and unpredictable people made her uneasy. Aqua knew Axel wasn't as bad as some of the others but something told her that he wouldn't have difficulty turning on people if he was instructed to do so or if he had the right motivation.

Axel reminded her of Terra in some ways. They were both misguided and confused with corrupt allegiances but she didn't think they were lost causes like Saix and Larxene. Their loyalties ran deep but they weren't devoted as Saïx and Vanitas were.

All at once, she felt dirty. She felt tainted… Aqua glanced at her mirror as she walked past it and her stomach lurched. She hardly recognized herself… Who was she? Would she dress like this? Would she willingly spend time with Dark Knights and Seer Sages? Would she kiss Dark Knights? Would she curtsy to the Overlords? Who was she before this never-ending nightmare started?

Her body began to quake and her hands started to burn. Frantically, she began ripping and burning the clothes off her filthy body with Fira.

Aqua whimpered and groaned as she singed the foreign clothing off of her frame.

She didn't dress like this! She didn't dress like Larxene! She didn't dress like a Servant of Darkness! She had fallen so far so fast she hadn't even noticed it… She didn't even wear her old clothes anymore… The last physical pieces of her old life that remained…she didn't wear them anymore.

The Child of Light stormed into her bathroom and turned on the water in the shower. She leapt behind the shower curtain and began rubbing her skin raw with the still warming water.

She was soiled. She was grimy, grubby, filthy, sullied, and impure. Sobs broke from her lips as she desperately tried to wash the invisible muck, mire, and sludge from her body. Aqua couldn't see the contamination but she _felt_ it.

Water and her hands weren’t enough. They couldn’t remove the foulness that coated her. Clumsily and hysterically, she grabbed a washcloth and smothered it in soap. With frenzied force, she lathered the soap on the washcloth and began roughly scrubbing her skin. It hurt but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wash away the feeling of being defiled.

Porcelain skin turned bright red from the hash rubbing Aqua applied to its surface. She would rub her skin off if it would dispose of the dark pollution that she felt latching onto her.

She cried, she screamed, and she wailed desperately as she tried to remove their unseen handprints from her body. Aqua tried to wipe _his_ handprints off her. She even tried to scrub _his_ permanent kiss from her lips. She was rubbing herself raw but it wasn't working. It didn't help. It didn't undo what had been done. It didn't turn back time. No matter how hard or how coarsely she swabbed her skin, she could not disinfect herself.

The unhinged cries and sobs intensified as she scrapped and clawed at her skin. Ivory legs trembled and she could take no more. Aqua screamed and collapsed to her knees and onto the showers granite flooring. Shrieking again, she threw the worthless washcloth out of her hands.

No one was there to hold her as she vigorously wept, so she held herself. Chafed, red arms wrapped around her nude form as she cradled herself and wailed in anguish.

When the screaming stopped, the soft cries were all that remained. Hot shower water cascaded down her bare back and streamed down her face, mixing with her abundant tears. Aqua held her eyes tightly closed and sobbed. She didn't know how long she had cried like that before she finally felt inclined to stop.

When there no more tears left to cry, trembling hands turned the water off. Slowly, she peeled the peacock-blue shower curtain back. She walked to the towel rack in a daze and wrapped a white towel around her abraded body.

Not having anywhere else to go, she wandered to her dressing table and sat in front of her mirror.

Bloodshot eyes gazed back at her. Red streaks covered her shoulders and arms where she had hopelessly tried to purify herself. Long tresses of baby blue flowed around her shoulders and dripped water onto the floor and onto the towel she wore around her torso.

Aqua grabbed the golden brush that sat on her vanity and began absentmindedly brushing through her drenched, unique mane. She watched the reflection and observed intently as she skimmed through her hair. She didn't think. She didn't want to. She just brushed her hair. It was simple. It was easy and it didn't hurt, her body did but she was too numb to feel it.

Soft knocking fell upon her door and her eyes darted to source of the sound.

_Could it? Would he? Is it?_

"Who is it?" she muttered coldly, her brushing intensifying.

"It's Terra.”

"Oh," was all she could utter as her heart irregularly palpitated.

"May I come in?" Terra asked politely.

"Do what you want," Aqua huffed, still yanking the brush through her hair.

_I don't care what you do._

The door opened and Terra's broad form filled her peripheral vision. She didn't look at him. She just continued to abuse her locks with the golden brush. Aqua didn't have to inspect him to know that he was surprised to see her in a towel. She could tell by his body language.

_Why are you surprised, Terra? Why would I care? It is just you and you have practically seen me naked before._

The knight leaned against the doorway for a while and inspected the state of her room. He noticed the heaps of singed clothing and smelled the faint aroma of charred fabric but he didn't ask about it like she thought he would.

After he surveyed her room, he watched her for a while before he finally approached her. Terra stood behind her and placed his strong, heated hands on her damp shoulders.

He was wearing his gauntlets and Aqua automatically looked at her scarred wrists.

He could easily do the same thing to her shoulders…if he wanted to…

"I… I've missed you," the Dark Knight reluctantly admitted. He brushed her damp hair off her shoulders with his fingertips and he began gently massaging her shoulders.

Powerful hands traveled over her shoulders, her collarbone, and the sensitive skin around her neck.

Distracted, Aqua stopped brushing her hair and froze. For a moment, she closed her eyes and succumbed to his immaculate touch. It was warm, sultry, and sent shivers down her spine.

Why was he doing this? He didn't actually care about her. It was a trick. It had to be. He couldn't genuinely care for her. She was plain…a goody-goody…annoyingly innocent and worst of all, she was a Child of Light. This was probably part of their plan, the rehabilitation. He was probably playing her…using her… This was just another way for them to get under her skin and make her rip apart at the seams. Terra was a tool. He was _their_ tool, a tool meant to destroy her.

"Stop it," Aqua hissed and her shoulders tensed.

Terra sighed heavily and immediately released her stiff shoulders. "Stop what?"

Spinning around swiftly in her backless chair, she turned to face him. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth went stern.

She wanted to hate him. She _needed_ to hate him. It was easier when she hated him…

"Whatever this is!" She motioned to the space between them. "Stop it!"

Terra's navy eyes widened at bit, but he kept his rigid, unreadable posture and expression.

"It’s confusing and it hurts." Her voice quivered and threatened to break. "Above all it is stupid and…and it needs to stop."

The knight’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

Aqua wavered. She had said something that had angered him and she could tell he was about to explode. She had awakened a dormant beast.

"Stupid?" he inquired darkly and took a stunned step backwards.

Silence.

"Stupid," he repeated with a disturbing, aloof chuckle. It made her blood run cold.

"Apparently, _this,"_ He gestured to the space between them just as Aqua had, "was me being stupid!"

Aqua tried to turn away from him and face the mirror again, but Terra roughly grabbed her nude shoulders, completely spinning her around so she would have no choice but to face him.

"You want to know why I demanded you get your own room?" he asked menacingly and placed his hands on her vanity, caging her in place with his arms.

Terra was getting way too close to her. His breath seared across her lips and his body heat surged off him in powerful waves that threatened to consume her.

Instinctively, Aqua glanced in the opposite direction only to have him fiercely clutch her chin and force her to look at him.

Her eyes became distant and unfocused and she did what she always did in order to tolerate him, she peered in his direction but she did not openly regard him.

"Because I was afraid of doing something ‘ _stupid’!_ " Terra roared and violently slammed his hands back onto the dressing table behind her, causing her to flinch.

"And guess what?!" he yelled as she held her eyes tightly closed as if it would block him out. "I ended up doing something _‘stupid’_ anyway!"

Terra grabbed the music box off her the dresser behind her and savagely hurled it through one of her balcony doors.

Glass shattered as the sluggish, distorted music began to trickle out of the fractured music box.

Aqua held her hands over her mouth and watched the ruptured glass of the door dribble off the ruined doorframe, the chiming and ringing of ethereal, unearthly music resonating through the room with Terra's seething breath.

Midnight blue eyes left the demolished door only to glare at her.

She squirmed under his intense gaze. It had been so long since he had acted like this that she forgot how terrifying it could be. Her chest heaved as did his but she did not speak.

"Are we back there?" he asked sincerely between ragged breaths, his features softening momentarily. "Are we back to where we started? Are we back to that?"

Aqua said nothing. She held her face in her hands and watched him cautiously.

His sincerity stung. It tormented her chest and pummeled her coiling insides.

"Answer me!" Terra kicked the chair that sat at the foot of her bed across the room.

"Stop yelling at me!" Aqua held her hands over her abused ears.

"Fuck it," he hissed under his breath and stormed out of her chamber, almost taking the guiltless door with him.

The Child of Light continued to hold her hands over her ears as the sounds of Terra's temper tantrum proceeded to reverberate through the hall. Armor crashed, vases shattered, and tapestries were ripped as the enraged knight blazed down the crimson hallway.

Tears she didn't know she had streamed down her face while she stared at her demolished balcony door and the destroyed music box that still dinged softly.

Gathering her courage, Aqua grabbed her Wayfinder and held it to her aching chest as she drearily walked to the remnants of her door.

Bare feet scraped over broken glass that reflected the strange, glaring orange glow of the setting sun outside and blood began to spill from the bottom of her feet.

Shards of glass dug into the balls of her feet and splintered into and between her toes. Crystal cracked and crunched under her weight as she walked through the debris. Carefully, she knelt down onto the flooring that was covered in glass particles and placed her Wayfinder on the hazardous ground beside her. Teardrops continued to flow as she cautiously sifted through the pieces of the destroyed music box until she found the object she searched for.

Quivering hands plowed through fragmented glass, sharp gears, and jutting wood until she was able to take hold of the trinket. Blood that oozed from her hands dripped onto the orange good luck charm she exhumed from the music box's corpse.

Gingerly, she held the orange Wayfinder in her lap and began tenderly wiping her blood off of its surface with her bleached towel.

* * *

Vacant, cerulean eyes stared at the orange Wayfinder that slumbered on the snowy bedspread with pale blue floral designs scattered across its expanse.

Aqua held her legs to her stinging chest and crossed her arms over her lacerated knees as she bore holes into the good luck charm.

Damaged feet wrapped in medical tape bled through the bindings and seeped onto the pale bedspread.

Bloody footprints still coated the hardwood floor her quarters. The servants who had come to clean the mess Terra made had mopped up most of them but it was in vain. Her feet continued to bleed and she proceeded to leave a trail of vermillion footprints in her wake.

Aqua was considering sending for Terra. She was thinking about going to him and apologizing. He had overreacted and destroyed her room but she’d started it. She had called his affections stupid. She had called their relationship stupid. Terra came in and told her he missed her only to have her say that whatever it was between them was stupid. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. She shouldn't have said it.

The Wayfinder she made him could be a peace offering. Originally, she just wanted it to be a kind gesture; a thank you for saving her hide from the Court and for helping her train, but now a peace offering seemed more appropriate.

With a deep sigh, she eased off her bed and adjusted the traditional slip she was going to wear to bed. She considered changing into something else before she ventured to Terra's room, but at this point, she didn't really think that it mattered. It was in the middle of the night and not many people would see her anyway.

As Aqua reached for the orange Wayfinder a sound came from her balcony.

She bristled. Since Terra had busted the glass, anyone or anything could bust into her room if they chose to.

Her blood began to freeze and ice daggers slowly accumulated on her fingertips.

Gracefully, Aqua scurried beside the door so she could get the jump on the intruder. The doorknob creaked and the individual peered into the room.

Once the person was close enough, Aqua grabbed the trespasser by his collar, slammed him into the wall, and pressed the four deadly sharp daggers of ice to his vulnerable throat.

"Aqua! Aqua, it's me!" the mysterious being wheezed as he yanked his hood back and tried to wipe some of the makeup and paint off his face.

Her eyes squinted skeptically. It was the blind man with the cane…but his eyes were…familiar.

"It-It's Riku!" He held his hands up in surrender, his ice blue eyes shining with fear and apprehension.

"Riku…" Aqua whispered as she recognized his eyes. The ice instantly melted off her fingers and tears filled her weary eyes.

"Riku!" she sobbed and wrapped her arms around his neck so tightly Riku thought he would choke if she squeezed any tighter.

Apprehensively, Riku wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

She was crying again but this time, she cried tears of joy. They rolled off her face relentlessly and Riku could feel the moisture gathering by his neck and onto his shoulder.

"Is it really you?" Aqua him closer before backing away and tenderly wiping more of his makeup off to ensure that he was really there with her.

"It's me.”

More tears rolled down her face and she laughed weakly in disbelief before realization hit her upside the head. Aqua panicked. Riku was here…and if Riku was here…he was in serious danger…

"Shh! They will hear you!" she whispered harshly and held her fingers over his lips until he nodded his understanding. "How did you get up here?” She looked around and tried to figure out the safest place for them to talk would be.

"It wasn't easy; I can tell you that," the Dark Keyblade master divulged as Aqua pulled him out onto the balcony.

Plump clouds shrouded the moon and the city was asleep. Aqua assumed that they would be harder to see on the balcony and those who did see would probably assume the man with her was Terra since it was so dark. Riku and Terra were almost the same age and had a similar build.

She pushed Riku to the balcony and left herself partially in her room so she would be able to hear if someone came in her room.

"Are they making you sleep in that?" Riku asked once Aqua had stilled and he had the chance to inspect her.

Aqua shook her head nervously and glanced back at her door. "Don't worry about it."

"Come on. We are busting you out of here.” Riku grabbed her wrist and began pulling her further onto the patio but she hesitated.

"We?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod, "Me, Ven, Naminé, and Xion are all here. Xion and I snuck into the capital and Ven and Namine are hiding out in the woods waiting for us. They are going to bust in here too if Xion and I take too long."

"You all came for me," Aqua said in astonishment as tears threatened to spill from her stinging eyes again. "…But I-I can't… I can't leave yet."

Riku's heart took a violent plunge. "What? Why not?!"

"For starters," the Light Keyblade wielder began after she gave her door another quick look, "There is no way you are getting out of here with me tonight. I’m not supposed to be out at night and they will know if I’m gone. The Seer Sages watch me… I don't know to what extent but they track me… It sounds crazy but I can almost feel their eyes on me. We won't make it out of the palace gardens. "

Riku's brow furrowed as he listened and began trying to think of other alternatives.

"And… And I want to wait for Terra," she timidly admitted and winced as she waited for Riku's response.

"What?" Riku reeled. "The Dark Knight. _The_ Dark Knight? Are you crazy?"

"No," she replied calmly and confidently. "I know it sounds insane, but I have seen good in him, Riku. There is Light in him. He isn't like the others…"

Riku rubbed his eyes. "For the love of all that is Holy, Aqua!"

"I know," she concurred, holding her head down shamefully. "But I’m not leaving without him. If he comes with us, it will be a _huge_ help. We stand a much better chance if he is with us."

The young man groaned and he reluctantly grumbled his comprehension.

"I can get out tomorrow. There are Outer Gardens on the outskirts of town by a large fountain. There is a big, black gate; it is probably the one you and Xion scaled to get in here. I can get out there without anyone being suspicious and I will bring Terra with me. It is close enough to the woods that we wouldn't have to go far to get out of the Capital. We will have a much better chance out there.”

"What about Terra?" Riku questioned. He was still stuck on the fact that she actually wanted to bring him. "How will he feel about you trying to escape? When do you plan on telling him that you are wanting to escape and that you actually want him to come with us?"

Aqua groaned and kneaded her temples. "I will probably wait until the last minute…"

Terra wouldn't be happy about it at first but Aqua thought she might be able to talk some sense into him. She couldn't tell him ahead of time because that would give him too much time to think on it and he would never go. It would probably be better if she got the jump on him so he wouldn't have time to think about it and she could try to talk him through his thought process as it happened. Hopefully, he would be in a good mood…

"We are not leaving without you," Riku said sternly as he grabbed Aqua by her chilled shoulders. "We have been looking for you almost a year. Terra or no Terra; we are not leaving this city unless you are with us."

"I know that," Aqua said softly, her eyes falling to his feet. "I-I just want to try…"

She jerked and looked at the door when she thought she heard something.

"Expecting someone?" Riku asked cynically as he too peered at the traitorous door.

"People bust in on me all the time," she confessed, her body anxiously twitching as she inspected her room yet again. "My room isn't secure. The walls around us bleed gossip and rumors. They could already know you're here…"

There was a long pause where they said nothing, only listening as Riku held her protectively by her shoulders. Faint whispers could be heard in the hallway.

"You-You should go before Terra comes," Aqua heeded morbidly, her eyes not leaving the door.

"That better not mean what I think it means," Riku implied and crouched on the ledge of her patio, preparing to make his way back down.

Aqua blushed. She was sure it seemed like she was Terra's willing lover or someone whom Terra used in the middle of the night to satisfy his filthy needs.

"It doesn't." Aqua shook her head feverishly.

"It better not or I'll tell Ven," the silver-haired Keyblade Master threatened playfully before lifting his hood and leaping off the ledge effortlessly.

Aqua leaned over the railing and held her Wayfinder to her heart as she watched Riku's form vanish in the blackness of night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Woo! Another Aqua POV chapter, but don't worry Terra will be back in the next chapter and we can get his side on things. Keep in mind that Terra and Aqua have a complicated relationship to say the least. Things will be different for Aqua than they are for Terra. Their past won't bother him as much as it will bother her. Also remember Aqua has been oppressed by the Dark Rule her whole life and she has a deep-rooted resentment going back to when her parents were killed. I’m trying to keep her perspective and feelings realistic so don't hate me for the backlash in this chapter! 
> 
> Speaking of backlash, let's discuss Terra's tantrum for a bit. The relationship is difficult for him too but in different ways. Again keep in mind Terra isn’t average Joe. He has had an…unusual upbringing and he won’t respond to things like normal people would. Terra's default is to get angry, so when he gets his feelings hurt or if he gets too uncomfortable, his defense mechanism is to rage and destroy things. Terra doesn't know how to handle his emotions. Like I said we will get his side later so you will just have to continue reading. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and sticking with the story! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	22. I Love You, But I've Chosen Darkness

* * *

_Feet don't fail me now_

_Take me to the finish line_

_Oh, my heart it breaks every step that I take_

_But I'm hoping at the gates_

_They'll tell me that you're mine_

_Walking through the city streets_

_Is it by mistake or design_

_I feel so alone on a Friday night_

_Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine?_

_\- Born to Die, Lana Del Rey_

* * *

_Stupid,_ Terra mused bitterly.

Yeah. He was stupid. He didn't need Aqua to point that out. He already knew that he was stupid. Not only was he stupid, his actions were stupid as well.

_Stupid,_  reflected on the offensive word again as he mercilessly threw his sparing partner, Axel, to the ground. His foot found the vulnerable spot between Axel's shoulder blades and cruelly forced him into the ground of the training field.

One good thing that came from his infuriating situation with Aqua was his revived savagery and temper. He hadn't been this hyped up on energy in months. He was a fucking force, a powerhouse, a man possessed. His rage and frustration fueled his inhuman strength to levels he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Before Axel could try any of his high-powered Fire based attacks, Terra grabbed his arm and yanked it behind his back in an unwavering death grip. He twisted the joint and pulled it away from his body as he waited for the knight with jade eyes to yield.

Terra fought and trained with exceptional amounts of stamina and mastery, but his mind was elsewhere. He performed exemplarily. The Elders and Overlords were pleased but he was a slave to his untamed emotions.

"Yield!" Axel exclaimed when Terra had successfully made it so he could not properly use magic without experiencing vast amounts of pain.

Axel yielded but Terra didn't hear him. He was too far-gone. He didn't hear the surrender so he continued his monstrous assault. He twisted the arm farther back and yanked the joint toward his body, his foot resting firmly upon Axel's nude back. He pushed his body and face to the ground with his foot while he wretched his arm in the opposite direction.

"Yield, Light-damn it!" Axel roared, flames shooting from his mouth and nostrils. The vicious flames that flowed from his vehement mouth charred and singed the grainy terrain his face as sand scraped at his face and dusted into his green eyes.

Oblivious, Terra gave his arm another twist followed by a quick jerk until he felt a grotesque pop tremble against his hands.

" _Fuck_!" Axel screamed in agony as his arm was violently dislocated from his shoulder.

"Shit," Terra hissed and released the morbidly limp arm. "Why didn't you yield?"

"I  _did_  yield, asshole!" the red-haired knight spat and used his intact arm to shoot torrents of flames at Terra's form.

The attack was too quick and all Terra had time to do was shield his body and face with his arms. The aggressive blazes licked and thrashed over his exposed flesh.

The unarmored knight hissed and instantly began casting Curaga upon himself. The quicker he treated the injuries, the quicker they would heal. He hoped he could catch the trauma before they turned into stubborn burns or blisters.

Terra didn't have time to apologize or check his developing burns. Just as Axel wandered off the training field to try to reset his flaccid arm, a massive ball of Dark Firaga was chucked at his unsuspecting head.

Royal blue eyes narrowed and he began to conjure a weak Dark Firaga of his own within his hand. Terra shifted and caught the blast and began adding his own Dark Firaga to the orb to increase its size and strength. He pivoted and countered, throwing the spell back at its creator, Vanitas.

"So you  _are_  still in there!" Vanitas taunted, dodging the counterstrike. "I wondered if the Terra I knew was still in there or if the pansy who is in madly love with Aqua had completely taken over!"

Terra didn't answer; instead he began erecting rocks from the earth and using his Keyblade to hurl them at Vanitas.

They launched at Vanitas forcefully and he struggled to ward off the continuous onslaught of rock with his own gloomy Keyblade.

Vanitas fended off the downpour of earth with his bloodstained weapon and tried to close the gap between himself and his opponent.

"So you kissed her?" the crimson knight teased, trying to buy himself some time or perhaps to create a distraction. He knew Terra would become sloppy if his emotions got the better of him.

Terra's eyes narrowed and he growled before kicking a massive slab of earth at his  _brother_.

"You're even more pathetic than I thought!" Vanitas was using hands covered in Dark Fire to repel the rock Terra commanded. "If I thought you had any balls, I would recommend that we castrate you for being such a pussy!"

"Shut up!" Terra shot another slab at Vanitas so quickly it caught the side of his face. The skin of his cheek was ripped apart by ragged earth, threatening to give him a permanent half grin.

"Fuck!" Vanitas lowered himself to the ground, knowing he needed to break Terra's unwavering root.

With one swift, fluid motion, Vanitas shot a low wave of billowing Dark Firaga at Terra's bare feet. He wavered and Vanitas struck with unnervingly brisk movements. He tackled Terra to the ground and held the jagged edges of his Keyblade to his susceptible throat.

"You haven't touched her, have you?" Vanitas snarled, looming over Terra, his Keyblade's edges digging into the vital arteries and veins in his neck. "You just kissed her like the good, little boy that you really are."

Terra glared daggers at him, but the smell the dried blood on Vanitas's Keyblade still almost made him nauseous.

"I knew you didn't have it in you to fuck her like any other man would. You're pathetic." Venom dripped from Vanitas's exposed fangs as he spoke.

"Get the fuck off me," Terra warned as he felt Vanitas's Keyblade making lacerations in his throat. His blood was starting to trickle down his tanned flesh, off his neck, and onto the pale sand underneath him.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her since you don't have the balls to. I'll show her what a  _real_ man is like."

Using his words carefully, Vanitas dug his infected fingers into Terra's sensitive vital organ's atrium and clawed holes into the raw tissue of his heart's inner walls. He clogged the organ's arteries with his blighted fingertips and waited for the pathetic body part to overflow with red fluid and explode. He skillfully played with the heart he knew Terra possessed underneath all the armor and seemingly invisible physique.

"I'll pop her cherry and rip apart her maidenhead and maybe,  _maybe_  I'll let you have what's left after I'm done with her." Vanitas sneered devilishly, his golden eyes glowing with anticipation and wicked eagerness.

Before another foul, obscene word could surge out of Vanitas' poisonous mouth, Terra slammed his fist onto the ground and summoned a rock wall that jutted right into Vanitas' skull.

The crimson knight launched off Terra like a rag doll. Dust scattered and puffed around the lame body before slowly setting around the deadly still form.

Vanitas was out cold and Terra was glad. He didn't care if it killed him; he hoped that it did.

"Enough!" Xigbar called as Terra rose to his singed feet. "You're done for today, kiddo. You don't have to maim anyone else. Good job. You're dismissed."

The bronze knight grimaced. He didn't want to be dismissed. If he was dismissed, he would be tempted to do something stupid, again…like apologize to a certain young woman…but before he did that he needed to apologize to Axel.

While Xigbar and Xaldin checked Vanitas' vital signs, Terra journeyed across the field to Axel.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I really didn't hear you yield."

"I know you didn't." Axel rotated he recently reset joint. "You don't hear anything when you're like that. What did she do to you that has you so pissed?"

"She… It's complicated," Terra grumbled and wiped away the blood that dribbled off his damaged neck.

Saying it was complicated was an understatement but Terra didn't really see any other way to describe it. Yes, he was frustrated with her but he was more frustrated with himself… He just took it out on her…and Axel…or anyone else who dared cross his path while he was in this irate state.

"Did you kill him?" Axel asked when he noticed a prostrate Vanitas on the training field.

"No. We wouldn't be lucky enough for him to actually die. He is too crazy to die." Terra spat as he watched Vanitas sit up and clumsily rise to his feet. He hoped he had a concussion that would torment him for the next decade.

Terra's mouth widened into a mischievous smirk at the sight of his handiwork. "I warned him to get off."

* * *

Aqua walked cautiously down the scarlet corridors that led to Terra's room. She knew she  _technically_  hadn't done anything to stir suspicion but she was still very anxious. She was planning on escaping…again. She desperately hoped that this time would be different. It had to be. This was her last chance. She would either escape or she would be executed. If she was unsuccessful this time, she wouldn't be spared and Larxene's visions would come to pass.

The Keyblade wielder didn't tell Riku about the stakes. He didn't need to know that if she were caught trying to escape, she would be executed on the spot. Even now her life hung delicately by a feeble thread. She had already overstepped her bounds. What had already transpired on her balcony last night was worthy of execution. If the seers found out that she had talked to Riku about escaping, or if they found out that she was simply  _thinking_ about escaping, she would be taken out to the Center Square and Terra would execute her… After his tantrum yesterday, Aqua was pretty sure he was still probably mad enough to crush her to death for her insubordination. Her guardian probably wouldn't even give it a second thought. He had no use for her anymore… His love for her had saved her before, but since she hadn't returned his affections, he no longer had a reason to spare her or show her mercy…

_Don't think like that. Terra wouldn't do that to you,_ the little voice in her head chided confidently but Aqua wasn't so sure.

Once she reached his door, she prayed to both Light and Darkness - whichever would listen to her plea - that he'd kept his old habits and left his door unlocked.

Aqua held her breath and placed her hand upon the familiar, golden texture of his doorknob. Slowly and hesitantly she turned the doorknob until she felt the latch remove itself from the doorway.

Unlocked. He left it unlocked.

The Child of Light released the breath she'd been holding and entered her old room.

Terra's musk lingered within the room and seduced Aqua's senses. She closed her eyes and breathed in his alluring smell.

"Terra?" she called timidly. She knew he was probably out training, but she wanted to be sure he wasn't in the room.

When his powerful voice didn't answer her, she gently shut the door behind her.

The knight's bed was made and his dark armor didn't rest upon his mannequin, suggesting that he was indeed out and about.

Aqua walked to her side of his bed and sat on its surface. She almost missed this room. She almost missed her place next to him…

For old time sake, she crawled to Terra's pillow and buried her face in its silky surface for the last time. She used to hide her face in his pillow in order to hide from him, to protect herself, or to shield her eyes while he marched around his room nude, but as time passed, she did so in order to detect his natural aroma. She couldn't remember when she'd started enjoying his masculine smell; she just knew that she enjoyed it now.

With a heavy sigh she removed herself from his pillow and decided to do what she came to do in the first place.

Aqua walked to his mahogany nightstand and knelt in front of it. She held the fragile, silver padlock in her hand and began freezing it with Blizzard.

Her magic was weak. They'd increased her dosage of magic suppressant after her first escape attempt, but she had managed to break her pain barrier  _again_. They underestimated her. It took her longer to regain the ability to cast effective magics this time but she had still been able to do so.

The Child of Light made sure to keep her abilities hidden from Terra when they practiced magic together. She made sure to only put forth a little effort so that it would still appear that the suppressant was still doing its job and that it was keeping her from casting efficient spells.

Terra wasn't dumb. He knew she could cast and that was why he continued to teach her magic, but Aqua was cautious and only conjured weak, inept spells.

Aqua grumbled at her pathetic display. It was taking much longer to freeze this stupid lock than originally anticipated. The muscles in her arms were turning to mush and her nerves were deteriorating, but she  _had_  to remove the lock. A few months ago she would have been able to ruin this lock in seconds but now she was so drugged that everything took  _a lot_  more effort.

She couldn't wait around anymore. What she'd managed to conjure on the lock would have to do.

Aqua stood and gave the lock a swift kick. It shattered like glass and sprayed across the floor. Ivory fingers pulled open the drawer and she began skimming through the drawer.

"Come on. Where is it?"

After what seemed like an eternity she finally found her dear friend.

"There you are!" Aqua exclaimed triumphantly and pulled Rainfell's charm out of the messy drawer.

She held the charm to her chest and closed her eyes. She automatically felt more confident and secure. She knew that having Rainfell would make her feel better. She wasn't sure how her magic would perform and she needed some insurance. If things got ugly, she would need Rainfell and she wasn't going to leave without her Keyblade.

Aqua continued to dig through the storage compartment in search of her sister's charms but the sound of armor rattling outside made her nerves cringe. She had to hurry. The knights were returning from morning practice.

When she finished her business inside Terra's room, she scurried out to the hall to wait for him to return from training.

She took a seat in the crimson hall by his door, took out her Wayfinder, and tried to calm her nerves. She was dreadfully nervous and she desperately hoped she could keep it together when he arrived.

The Child of Light was starting to have second thoughts as she twisted her Wayfinder around in her hands. She didn't need to be waiting on Terra. She needed to be in the Outer Gardens with the others. She might even be safely outside the capital now if she wasn't waiting on him. Why was she waiting on him? Why was she waiting on someone who would never leave this Capital for her? Why did she feel so compelled to try to convince him to come with her?

_Because I care. Because if I didn't try, I would spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been. I would constantly wonder what could have happened if I would have asked him to come with me. Because deep down, I believe in Terra… I know he can be so much more than this… He just… He just needs the chance…_

The intensifying rattle of armor brought her out of her thoughts. Her heartbeat quickened as Terra's form rounded the corner.

The Dark Knight faltered when he saw her. His powerful strides wavered and hesitated, but he didn't stop his trek down the hallway.

Aqua smiled at him although he wore his headgear and she couldn't see his features.

"Hi."

Terra remained silent; his posture stoic and unreadable.

Dark blue eyes traveled over her form.

She was in her old clothes. Aqua wore her thin, tight yet simple navy halter-top. The garment had no sleeves and revealed her arms and shoulders and flattered her appetizing curves. Meanwhile, the lower half of her body was in her black shorts, tight stockings, and her ankle-length sash of watery blue. It shimmered even in the dull lighting of the hall and finally, her wrists were wrapped in medical tape to hide her grisly scars.

The Keyblade wielder licked her lips. "We... We need to talk."

The knight crossed his arms over his broad chest. "We already did that. Remember?"

Aqua sighed and stood so she could confront him properly. "No. We yelled at each other. We didn't talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you," he lied and roughly brushed past her.

Truthfully, Terra had a lot to say to her he just wasn't ready to say it yet. His pride was still a bit injured and he wasn't sure he could talk to her without blowing up. Again.

His lie was almost enough to make her leave him. It was almost enough for her to not say another word and to leave this palace without him. She would never look back. She wanted to leave him, this horrid place and all the wretched memories associated with it. She wanted to, she needed to…but for some unknown reason, she couldn't.

The sound of his clanking, blackened armor began to fade and Aqua closed her eyes, clutching her Wayfinder tightly in her hand.

"Wait," she whispered.

The clanking grew softer.

Aqua jerked and whirled around. "Wait!"

Terra froze, instantly obeying her command. He couldn't deny her anything when she cried for him like that…

Aqua dashed down the hall after him and gripped his arm so he wouldn't dare try to leave her again.

"Please, Terra," She almost whined, cling to his steel-plated arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't… I… I didn't mean to… I…"

She had so much to say that she was having trouble speaking at all. There was so much that she wanted to tell him…so much that she wanted to discuss with him. There was so much they needed to talk about but there weren't enough words and there wasn't enough time.

Her knight remained mute and she knew her words were not enough. Terra was being exceptionally stubborn. She had to express herself in another way. She needed to communicate with him in another way to break his sturdy resolve.

Reluctantly, her hand traveled down the cool metal that covered the inside of his arm. Porcelain fingertips brushed over his palm before they wedged between his thick fingers. Meekly and unhurriedly, her fingers slide in between his, effectively lacing her fingers with his.

Aqua's quivering stomach lurched as she took hold of his limp hand.

Terra couldn't comprehend what was happening. She was holding his hand,  _willingly_. Her slender, ivory fingers were laced between his and he could feel his resolve crumbling.

"Aqua," he hummed her name beautifully and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze out of reaction.

Slowly, Terra's tanned fingers curled and completed their extremely delicate connection.

"You shouldn't be sorry." Terra held her hand firmly as if he would never have the opportunity to hold her like this again. "You didn't do anything wrong…"

"I shouldn't have called…this…us…stupid… I wanted to tell you… I wanted to come to you last night and apologize but I was afraid… I was afraid you would still be too mad at me." She peered up at him with compassionate eyes of swirling blue.

The knight turned to face her and tugged his helmet off with his free hand so he could take in her earnest look of compassion. Aqua rarely looked at him that way and he never wanted to take those kinds of looks for granted. It was true that he was mad at her, but he would never reject her, not really. He would never be  _that_  angry with her. The anger he held onto was the anger and frustration he had with himself. She just got in the crossfire because it was her fault that he felt the way he did.

"I wasn't too mad at you," he answered simply.

They were within dangerous proximity of each other. Aqua could feel his warmth and she found herself wanting him to do something stupid again. She wanted him to kiss her.

Terra took a step toward her, closing the gap between them. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I apologize. My emotions got the better of me."

He loved her. She knew that he did. She supposed that she had known for a while. She was just too stubborn to admit it or to acknowledge it. She'd been in denial about. It wasn't an easy concept to swallow. She would have to be a complete dolt not to notice it and deep down she knew that was why he had reacted so strongly the day before, because he loved her.

"Will you take a walk with me?" the Light Keyblade wielder pleaded, gently tugging at his oversized hand.

The knight nodded, placed his headgear upon his head, and allowed her to pull him by the hand she held.

He expected them to talk on their way out of the palace but they didn't. Aqua walked silently with him through the vacant, crimson halls of Tarnen Palace.

The silence wasn't awkward or heavy. It was actually pleasant and Terra found that he had no problem with their silent communication.

Her wintery hold was firm yet soft. She was kind and gentle as always. Holding her hand had the same effect on him as kissing her. It calmed him and filled the void in his heart that he didn't even know he had. He'd never felt it before. He didn't feel empty until she made him feel whole. He hadn't felt incomplete until he realized that the girl next to him could offer him completion.

It was a simple action. One she had shared with many people in one form or another, but with Terra. it meant something different. That was why she had avoided it for so long. The mere thought of embracing him or weaving their fingers nauseated her. Even now she hopelessly wrestled with disgruntlement and impending nausea.

Aqua was doing something that she  _never_  wanted to do but something she now felt compelled to do. To reach him. To calm him. To beseech the brighter part of him that loved her. The tiny piece of him that was capable of so much more. She would tolerate it. She would fight the conflicting emotions for the good in him. She would do it so she could take him with her, to get him to help her and to go with her. Having Terra as an ally would be easier than having him as an enemy. Having him as an enemy had gotten her captured twice but maybe the ally could help her escape.

The longer his fingers were woven in with hers, the easier it was for her to tolerate and even enjoy it. The Keyblade wielder wondered if she would always be drawn to him like this. Would she always be urged to gravitate toward him? To help him? To be with him?

As they walked through the quiet, almost vacant Center Square he felt her leaning into him. She squeezed his hand tighter and melded their fingers together before she rested her head on his bicep; she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulder.

Infectious warmth spread throughout his chest like a disease as she succumbed and the frigid ice she constantly packed between them melted. Aqua took the barriers away and allowed herself to take pleasure in his company.

Citizens were staring at them but the Child of Light didn't care. She wanted to enjoy what could be their final moments together. She wanted to enjoy the calm before the inevitable storm. She wanted to bask in his peaceful demeanor, to breathe his scent and to hold his heated hand as if he were not her enemy. He could just be Terra for a moment and she would be the girl he cared for. They could just be a boy and a girl for a moment. They could be normal. Their relationship could be simple...just for a moment…

His thumb affectionately rubbed over hers as they walked to the destination Aqua was leading them to. When they reached the Entryway that led to the Outer Gardens, she let him go. She didn't need to be holding his hand when she saw the others and he didn't need to feel her palms sweating with anticipation. He didn't need to grow suspicious of her.

"Will you take your helmet off?" she asked politely when he stopped trying to reestablish their connection. She wanted to be able to see his face when she tried to convince him to join her and her friends.

Terra reached up and removed his helmet. He tossed his matted dark brown hair and took in a deep breath of crisp, fresh air that smelled of springtime. He could smell the flowers of the gardens, the faint aroma of the water that gushed from the countless fountains inside the Capital, and he could smell  _her_. The lovely smell of flora paled in comparison to the magnificent aroma of lavender and jasmine that Aqua exuded naturally.

"I never realize how hot it is inside that thing until I take it off." The bronze knight wiped some of the beads of sweat off his forehead with the back of his wrist.

Aqua grinned warmly at him and he reached out to cup her face with his free hand. His thumb stroked her cheek as his fingertips curled into her sapphire mane.

She wanted to lean into his touch. She wanted to hold his boiling hand to her face and tell him to kiss her.

Her eyes betrayed her. They shone with both longing and distress. They were turbulent and conflicted. Terra wanted to take all the confusion away. He wanted to assure her that it was okay. That it was okay for her to want him, to be with him, that no one would resent her for it and that he would welcome her affections. He wanted her to stop pulling away from him.

Terra craned his neck and pressed his forehead to hers. Her unsettled eyes closed and she listened to his steady breathing that was somehow louder than the water that surged through the channels within the Entryway. Aqua could pick up his scent even with the thick fragrance of fresh blossoms hanging in the air around them. The smell of honey, cinnamon, and a touch of wet clay clouded her senses while his fingers burned her sensitive skin.

"Terra," she mouthed silently but he heard her. He heard the turmoil, the conflict, the confusion, and even the resentment and hatred that still firmly clung to her idea of him.

Their lips grazed. His mouth parted and his scalding breath slid in between her cool lips coaxing her pink lips to part.

Tresses of cobalt blue entwined within his fingers as he caressed the side of her soft, porcelain neck with his fingertips. Terra could feel her arctic temperature seeping through his gauntlets and onto every inch of his hand and into every pore of his skin. An unearthly chill ran up his spine from the coolness against his hand and the frosty temperature that radiated off her divine mouth.

"Terra," she repeated, her voice soft and weak, her supple lips vibrating and brushing against his with each syllable she uttered.

"Don't," he heeded sternly, his lips lightly pressing to hers.

Aqua heard the warning but she couldn't heed it. She couldn't succumb to this again. If she did it, would make their potential separation that much harder and she needed to keep a clear head. Aqua couldn't have her mind too clouded by whatever it was that she felt for Terra.

Before his lips could completely press to hers, she pulled away and turned her head.

Terra's hand left her hair and dangled lifelessly at his side, sighing as he retreated.

_She doesn't love you, remember? Why would she want to kiss you again? She hates your blackened guts._

It hurt to pull away from him. It hurt much more than she wanted to admit. Her heart stung with each strong palpitation it executed.

"Come on," Aqua insisted and made her way to the Outer Gardens. She needed to hurry and she wanted to converse with him before his dubious mood had time to sour.

Terra held his helmet under his arm and followed her without giving it a second thought.

Aqua's confidence was starting to waver. She knew she could control Terra's emotions but she didn't know how long she would be able to in this kind of situation.

Her nerves crimped and her stomach did painful flips as they entered the Outer Gardens filled with sleeping guards. In the distance, she could see her friends.

Her breathing quickened and she tried not to panic. She had to be calm. She had to be in complete control of this high-risk situation. She was flirting with disaster literally and figuratively. She had to be the mediator between her family and her new… _companion._

"What the fuck is this?" Terra snarled when he noticed the sleeping guards and Eraqus's students along with the punk Aqua came to Amur with. He suddenly realized why Aqua wanted to take this 'walk'.

"Aqua!" Ventus called and the small party began to approach her.

Adamant, Aqua held her hand up to stop Ventus and the advancing group. She emotionlessly shook her head, wanting them to know how serious she was about this.

When the group stopped their progression, Aqua turned to face Terra. "Come with us."

The Child of Light didn't tip toe around the subject. She didn't have time to. She went right for the heart of the matter.

_Us?_ He thought venomously, his brow furrowing.

What shocked Terra wasn't the fact that she was asking him to leave Hollow Bastion but the fact that she said  _'us'_  and not me.

The anger in his eyes faded and was replaced by hurt and strife.

"Let's go, Aqua," Ventus called. "That monster is never going to come with us. We'll hold him off. Go. Make a break the woods and we'll come in after you when we're done with him."

Terra hurled his helmet to the ground and launched toward the bastard who called him a monster, but Aqua halted his advance with her body.

"Hey!" she said, her tone demanding as she took his face in her chilled hands.

Terra seethed and his fangs ground inside his clenched mouth.

"Hey," she repeated softly, turning his face away from Ven back to her. "Terra. Terra, look at me."

Her tender words resonated inside him and his expression softened as she caressed his face, brushing his chocolate-colored hair back in an attempt to calm him.

"Come with us," she repeated and continued to hold his head in her trembling hands.

There was that word again. _Us._  She wasn't asking him to come with her. She continually said _us_. That word created a mental block for him. He couldn't get past it to even consider what she wanted him to do.

"Terra," she spoke his name with gushing amounts of sincerity as she liberated his face only to take one of his large hands in both of hers. "I know you're better than this. I've seen kindness and Light in you. You're not like the others. You're not like them."

Terra's eyes of deep blue were distant while he stared blankly at the tanned hand she held.

Aqua couldn't read his expression, his body language, or his mind and she was starting to panic. She didn't know what to say. What could she say that would convince him that he needed to leave this place with her? That she wanted him to go with them? Help them? She couldn't find the words because she still wasn't even entirely sure  _why_  she wanted him to come with her… She just knew that it was what she wanted.

The Light Keyblade wielder opened his hand and held it flat against the exposed flesh of her chest. She held his opened appendage over her hammering heart and prayed to Light that it could somehow convey what she could not. She prayed that maybe its powerful beating could explain what he meant to her…how much she wanted him to come with her.

Her heartbeat pounded fiercely against his opened palm. The chill of her skin caressed the warm flesh of his hand compassionately. He warmed her and she cooled him. They balanced one another. Her heartbeat has synced with his. The thunderous beating in his blood-filled ears matched the foreign pulse he felt thumping against his palm. They beat together as toxic warning began filling his brain to the brim...

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _What? To love and be loved in return? How can she love someone she has always regarded as a beast?'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _She may look like an angel but she is still an untamed beast.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Can you let her go?'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Do not forget who you are and NEVER forget who she is.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Why? Because you love her? Do you honestly think she could love you?'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Poor little Terra is going soft.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Even if we did let her live, she would never love you.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _You might wear protective covering like a knight in shining armor but you are not that guy!'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Any affection she would give you would be deception and guile!'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Girls like Aqua get Prince Charming, but I guarantee you that you aren't her Prince Charming.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Light whores are not capable of loving those blighted by Darkness.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Look how touchy you are about it!'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _No matter what you feel for her, she will always be a Child of Light first and foremost.'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _Aqua will get her prince charming but it won't be you!'_

_**THUMP, THUMP…** _

' _She is your enemy.'_

Royal blue eyes gradually reopened and locked on her.

Aqua saw the smolder. His brow creased and his eyes were somber. They rose to meet hers and Aqua's heart stalled. He was pulling away from her.

His hand tried to leave her chest, but she desperately tried to hold onto him.

"Please..." she whispered so softly that she went unheard.

Aqua could feel him slipping through her fingers both physically and emotionally. His hand left hers and fear whirled behind her eyes as she took an apprehensive step away from him.

He was turning on her.

Vanitas and Axel swiftly entered the Outer Gardens, waiting patiently and silently behind their fellow knight.

The Overlords knew. The Seer Sages had found out about her little plan and they had sent reinforcements to reel her back in, to help Terra conquer her and bring her back.

Panic stricken sky blue eyes darted between her knight and the threatening knights that stood eerily behind him. They waited for his signal just Aqua and the others did. They watched attentively for events to unfold. They waited for Terra to make his move so they could make theirs.

Terra's posture changed. His muscles tensed and his body became rigid. His striking features hardened and his eyes simmered dangerously. Aqua knew the look. She knew what it meant.

"Go!" Aqua screamed and ran to her friends. "Go! Go!  _Go! Go! Go!_ "

Chaos erupted in one massive motion. Keyblades were summoned and Holy immediately began to rain down from the bright blue midday sky.

Terra reached for Aqua's arm but before he could take hold of her, a massive gust of wind launched him backward.

"Let's go!" the sapphire Keyblade wielder cried, tugging on Ventus' arm and motioning for the others to follow her.

"No. I meant what I said earlier. We'll hold them off. You  _have_ to get out of here you're the one they want!" Ven yelled and continued to cast Aeroga at the Dark Knights.

"Go to the woods!" Riku commanded, shooting Dark Firaga into Ventus' Aeroga blast to help fend off the Dark Knights. Once he finished his spell, he wretched Aqua from Ven's side and shoved her toward the gate. "We will come find you after we are done! Go!"

"But—" Aqua hesitated as she stumbled toward the gate. This was not what she wanted, she wanted to stay and help…

"Aqua, please! Trust us!" Xion pleaded, her eyes locking with Aqua's.

"Go!" Ventus repeated and glared sternly at the blue-haired girl.

Aqua's eyes widened. Terra had gotten back to his feet and was rushing through the overwhelming onslaught of ranged magic attacks toward her.

After giving her friends another despairing look, she bolted.

Terra shot after her but when Terra got close enough, Ventus struck him with another Aeroga blast.

When Ventus had Terra off her heels, Aqua called forth Rainfell and ran toward the gate as fast as she could. She needed to listen to Riku and Ven and get head for the woods. The quicker she got into the woods, the quicker her friends could retreat as well. They needed to get out from behind these Light forsaken walls. They needed to get to safety. Aqua knew the longer they stayed, the harder it would be for them to safely retreat. The Seer Sages could send more Dark Knights and maybe even the Elders… She had to hurry before things got any worse.

Naminé shot Holy into the air continuously. She had to ward off the knights' advance and distract them while her companions attacked so Aqua could disappear within the wood. She was the one they wanted and they all knew it. If she got away, they could quickly follow.

Ventus grappled with Terra. Xion and Riku alternated between Axel and Vanitas while Naminé used Holy at a distance to overwhelm their opponents.

"Axel!" Terra roared as he cast Quake under Ventus, sending the blonde young man reeling. "Take this one!"

Axel didn't miss a beat. He understood his former superior's orders and followed them skillfully. Terra was grateful that Axel was such a good partner. He needed him to understand so he could go after Aqua. If she got to the woods, it would be over. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack if she entered the limitless, perilous, Heartless infested wood. Terra was a Dark Knight, not a tracker. That was the Seer Sages' job.

The bronze warrior ran as fast as he could after Aqua's fleeting form. He managed to close the distance between them but a huge blur of white appeared before him and shielded Aqua with its massive form.

As Terra's eyes adjusted he saw the most feral looking chocobo he had ever seen. It interrupted his pursuit and Aqua glanced over her shoulder when she sensed the oversized bird lodged between them.

Just as Terra was about to strike the fowl across its neck to permanently maim the pesky beast, the bird bristled and charged at him.

Genuinely frightened and taken off guard for the first time in years, the bronze knight reeled back so forcefully he fell to his back where he continued to inch away from the beast.

The white chocobo screeched at him so loudly his hair flew off his face and his eardrums threatened to burst.

Aqua effortlessly leapt onto her pet and rammed her heels into its sides, urging the beast to take off.

With lightening quick speed, the snowy fowl sprinted toward the dusky gate.

Terra growled and tried to go after her yet again only to be struck by another gust of wind.

"Motherfucker!" he bellowed as he was shoved backwards gracelessly. The unique air attacks were getting  _really_  old  _really_  fucking fast. They were the opposite of his element, earth, and they were annoyingly effective against him.

Steel-plated boots scrapped into the ground as Terra tried to stop the inertia that was pushing him backward and away from Aqua. He clawed the cement-covered terrain as sparks flew from the impact of metal armor colliding with cobblestone. Once Terra regained his footing, he clumsily launched oversized boulders at the man he had heard Aqua call Ventus.

As Terra hurled rocks at his blonde opponent, his midnight blue eyes darted between Ventus and the busted gate that led to the woodland. The damn bird had clearly helped the intruders bust through the blackened gate and was charging toward the opened gate with Aqua upon its back.

Aqua had never been so glad to see Snow in her entire life, but she couldn't enjoy the reunion. Everything was too hectic and too much was at stake. As she herded Snow to the gate, she noticed Naminé not too far from its entrance.

Naminé needed to come with her. She was doing fine with her Holy spells for now but she would tire soon and she couldn't hold up against the knights if they decided to confront her. Naminé was solely a long distance fighter. She wasn't designed for hand-to-hand combat. She needed to get out of here before the knights got too close to her.

"Naminé!" Aqua held her hand out for her as she and Snow rushed by her.

The blonde girl clasped Aqua's hand and nimbly climbed onto Snow's back behind her. She instantly wrapped her arms around Aqua's waist and closed her eyes. Aqua was here. She was really here. Naminé could feel her and smell her familiar fragrance. Instinctively, she squeezed Aqua's waist tighter and buried her face in her back.

Aqua desperately wanted to hold Naminé and tell her how much she missed her, but she couldn't, not yet. Instead, she merely patted the small hands that held fast at her waistline.

Terra rapidly shot continuous balls of Dark Firaga at Ventus, trying to create distance between them so he could go after Aqua. He couldn't let her get away. He needed her. He needed her here with him and he wasn't about to share her with anyone. She belonged in Hollow Bastion with him and no one was going to convince him otherwise.

Before the annoying bird got out of his range, Terra called forth a wall of earth in front of the chocobo, causing the beast to trip and wail in pain.

Aqua and Naminé screamed as Snow crumpled over, flinging them off the white fowl's back.

Terra smirked, but his victory was short-lived. The instant the spell left his fingertips, Ventus charged at him and Terra took the boy's Keyblade hilt to the back of his head.

The Dark Knight's vision blurred and he stumbled forward against his will. Instinctively, his hand gravitated to the back of his head. Pulling his hand away, he checked the appendage for blood.

Terra held his hand out in front of him but he couldn't see blood, he could only see his hand duplicating and blurring before his eyes.

Seething, he tried to return to his wobbly feet.

Although the bronze warrior hadn't regained his vision or his balance, he began mercilessly sling his Keyblade at Ventus.

He was sloppy and lacked proper form but he knew if he swung enough, he would eventually land a blow upon the kid's body.

The boy was almost as illusive as the wind he commanded, but Terra was persistent. Keyblades collided and crashed into one another again and again until Terra finally landed a blow upon the backhanded Keyblade, and the strike was forceful enough to cause the very coordinated blonde to stagger.

The Dark Knight's vision cleared enough for him to pivot and strike Ventus again across his upper torso.

Ribs snapped and lungs were punctured by their fractured edges. Splintered bits of bone shot into Ventus' deflated lungs causing, him to gurgle and wheeze in unnatural ways.

"Uh-oh!" Terra cried sarcastically. "I am  _so_  sorry!" the knight jeered and snickered wildly, breathlessly.

Aqua and Naminé were violently catapulted into the jagged, broken edges and spikes that were created out of what used to be a functioning gate.

Naminé's fragile skull collided with one of the sturdy bars, instantly rendering her unconscious, her eyes closing tightly against her will.

The older girl's head bashed into a bar as well when her body had been propelled through the deadly snare the destroyed gate had created, but the blow wasn't powerful enough to knock her out.

Screams erupted from her throat as an extreme pain shot through her upper thigh. The pain intensified until tears began pouring from her eyes without her consent.

One of the broken rods of the gate had completely impaled her leg. The black beam had shot into one side of her leg with so much force that it jutted through the opposite side of the appendage. She was literally harpooned by the gate's deadly bars and her body had been scraped to pieces.

Taking deep calming breaths, Aqua t slowly got onto all fours. She couldn't keep herself from screaming as the bar ground against her muscles and scraped against the bones in her leg.

Aqua would have to free herself. She had to get off the barb that shot through her leg.

With tightly shut eyes, she tried to slide her leg off the ebony rail.

Blood spurted around the beam that jutted through her leg and overflowed from the puncture point. She managed to pull off enough that only the tip of the rod jutted from her leg but it wasn't enough to free her.

Swiftly, she ripped off some fabric of her sash and placed a makeshift gag into her mouth and tried not to hyperventilate or pass out from the massive blood loss.

At an agonizingly slow pace she slid her leg off of the pole, screaming, crying, and begging Light for mercy as she did so.

Once she was free, she continued crawling to the other side of the gate. She was finally outside of the wall, beyond the gates of Hollow Bastion.

Crimson fluid gushed from the rounded, cavernous holes in her leg and she tore off more of her sash in order to wrap the wound to keep herself from bleeding to death.

Suddenly, Snow was at her side and he was trying to help her to her feet.

"Hi, buddy," she whispered weakly, grabbing fistfuls of his feathers and smearing her bright blood onto his chalky feathers.

As fast as she could and with Snow's help, Aqua limped to Naminé's side. With as much strength as she could muster, she lifted the unconscious girl and slung her over Snow's back. Feebly, she crawled onto her pet's back herself. The chocobo craned his neck and tried to help her onto his back as she did so.

"Thanks, Snow," Aqua said breathlessly.

Aqua desperately tried to keep her body from going into shock as she peered over her shoulder at her other friends. She didn't want to leave them. She wanted to stay and fight but she was worthless now. More importantly, she had to get Naminé to safety so she could address her wounds.

Hesitantly, Aqua struck Snow's sides with her heels and the chocobo vanished into the thick, web of endless woodland.

"Ven!" Riku called when he noticed that Aqua and Naminé were no longer in the Outer Gardens. Distracted, he was barely able one of Vanitas's savage blows with his Keyblade.

During the time Riku spent struggling with Vanitas and trying to keep from being cut in half, his back was swiftly sliced open by one of Axel's chakrams that Xion wasn't able to deflect in time. He hissed in pain and tried not to collapse to his knees.

After Xion blocked another of Axel's flaming chakrams, she rapidly cast Curaga upon herself and Riku. They were handling the situation as best they could but she was getting tired, they were all getting tired. They needed to fall back.

Xion scanned the area but she didn't see Aqua or Naminé. They were gone, which meant it was time for them to go.

"Ven!" Xion yelled, hoping her brother would understand her request without her actually having to voice it.

"Got it!" he replied between breaths as he glared at Terra.

Terra's head was spinning, his ears were ringing, his vision was obscured, and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Weak and tired, he knelt on the ground and glowered at the blonde Child of Light before him. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Neither of them did.

Ventus held his throbbing ribs as Terra tried his best to not pass out.

Terra glanced over to his fellow knights.

Axel's arm was dislocated  _again_  and Vanitas moved gracelessly as if he had received  _another_  concussion. Terra immediately regretted being so rough on them in practice. If he hadn't, taking these pathetic Children of Light would've been a cakewalk.

He glanced around the Outer Gardens in search of Aqua. He couldn't see straight and everything held an indistinct shape, but he knew in his gut that she was gone. He couldn't sense her radiance. He couldn't even see anything that resembled her.

Instantly, his will to fight died. The will to fight was gone because Aqua was gone. He had nothing left to fight for, so he no longer saw the point in fighting the injured kid before him.

Axel called forth an enormous wall of Firaga only to have it blown back at him and Vanitas by Ventus' powerful Aeroga spell. Realizing Terra was no longer willing to fight, he went to aid his friends.

"Riku!" Ven bellowed, using the last of his energy to call forth another Aeroga spell.

Riku shot Dark Firaga into the spiraling torrent of Aeroga, creating a tornado of Dark Fire that successfully separated them from the Dark Knights.

"Bye!" Xion exclaimed cheerfully and playfully before snapping her fingers and casting Vanish.

Terra's vision continued to blur and he couldn't make out the outlines of their bodies. Normally, he could see individuals even with Vanish cast upon him but he could no longer see the intruders. Either that girl could cast the most impressive Vanish he had ever seen or the blow to his head was worse than he thought.

"Fuck," he hissed when the bitter, disgusting grip of defeat tightened around his throat and threatened to strangle him to death.

By the time Axel and Vanitas were able to fend off the tornado of Dark Fire, the infiltrators were gone, but more importantly,  _she_ was gone.

Bloodied hands clawed at the ground before him in frustration as he rested on all fours.

Angrily, Terra spat blood onto the lavender surface of the decorative ground of the Outer Gardens. Vermillion fluid lazily drooled from his mouth and mixed with his saliva, creating a grotesque string of blood that dangled lifelessly from his busted muzzle.

_She's gone. She's gone…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> This wasn't a fun chapter to write, but I hope that it was a fun chapter to read. Was it a pleasant chapter? No, not really and it wasn't supposed to be. There were a few softer moments but for the most part, it was just violence.
> 
> On a lighter note… Hooray! Aqua escaped! That's a good thing! Sadly, Terra didn't go with her. (I'm sure most of you didn't think that he would. He still has some issues to work out) Oh, the humanity! Bittersweet chapter endings for everyone! But don't panic! This isn't the end of their relationship. Remember, there is a method to my madness.
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you liked the chapter!


	23. The Tide That Left and Never Came Back

* * *

_And our history can never be erased_

_You were a great companion_

_And some memories will never ever fade_

_So I love and so I hate_

_-Great Companion, Landon Pigg_

* * *

 

Vanitas's maniacal, deranged chortling filled the Outer Gardens. Once he started laughing, he couldn’t stop. The longer he guffawed, the louder the hysterics became. He held his sides and bowed over in unhinged, uncontrollable amusement.

Terra wasn’t sure what delighted Vanitas more, the fact that he had finally failed or the fact that he had just lost the woman he loved.

The laughter intensified as the scarlet knight approached Terra. Vanitas wasn't even mad that he had technically lost this fight as well. He didn’t care. Terra was sure that Vanitas probably didn't even really _try_  to stop them. He probably put forth only minimal effort just so no one could accuse him of not trying. Yes, Vanitas was nursing a severe concussion (thanks to Terra) but injuries had never affected his indisputable fighting skills before, suggesting that Vanitas had basically let them go. After all, he wouldn't be able to laugh at his  _dear brother's_  failure and suffering if they were able to stop them.

The fit of laughter only intensified as Vanitas basked in Terra's fall from grace. He reveled in it, wallowed in it, indulged in it, and lapped up every single speck of Terra's foundering and despondency.

"It's not funny, Vanitas," the bronze knight said coldly without looking at the man laughing at him.

Royal blue eyes continuously and blankly stared at the demolished gate she had escaped through. Terra hadn’t budged an inch since he realized  _she_ was gone. He stubbornly held his crumpled position on the cobblestone, not offering to move or even wipe the blood that slowly leaked from his mouth.

Upon hearing the obvious pain in Terra's voice Vanitas bellowed and succumbed to yet another frenzied, hysterical fit of laughter.

"Shut up!" Terra roared only to be wildly jeered at yet again. Vanitas was one chortle away from falling onto his back and completely succumbing to his guffawing induced paroxysm.

Normally, this was when Terra pounced and proceeded to beat the shit out of his  _brother_ but he just didn't care enough to. He wasn't worth the effort. It wasn't worth it anymore. Nothing was.

"Should we go after them or something?" Axel asked, bored.

"No," Terra said firmly. "Someone needs to inform the Overlords so they can consult with the Seer Sages."

_Yeah, someone definitely needs to have a good, long talk with the “all-knowing" Seer Sages._

How did this even happen? This shouldn't have happened at all. The whole point of having the damn seers was to prevent shit like this from happening. Why wasn't action taken to prevent this? If they knew that there was a possibility she could get away, why didn't they let him know? Let the Court know? Let _someone_ know.

Terra smelled a rat.

"Lover boy is right. There is no way I’m going in there," Vanitas declared, managing to temporarily compose himself. "They’re the seers and Heartless' problem now. I did my job.”

"They are probably gonna die out there anyway," Axel stated matter-of-factly. "With the Heartless breeding and accumulating in there  _and_ with the horrible terrain  _and_  the perilous woodland that place is a fucking death trap."

"I was sent out here to help pretty boy with the intruders and keep the bluebird from escaping, I wasn’t sent out here to go on some wild goose chase into that disgusting warren some people have the audacity to call a forest. I’m not doing  _anything_  unless I’m ordered to," Vanitas snapped as turned to leave the bloodstained Outer Gardens.

"Agreed," Axel concurred with a nod.

Terra didn't blame them. This was his failure, not theirs. There was no need for them to deal with this mess.

"Are you coming?" the redhead asked, attempting to hold his dislodged shoulder in place.

_Fuck, no._

All Terra wanted to do was hold his broken down position until he went into a coma or died. He didn't want to go to the Court and he didn't want to see the seers because if he did, he just knew they would demand that he retrieve  _her._ They would command him to put an end to their unsuccessful project. He would be ordered to kill her but he wanted nothing else to do with this. He wanted to pretend that it never happened. He was done with it. Done with her. She was gone. She had left him and he didn't care what happened to her now. It was no longer his concern. He had done his job. He did what he was commanded to do even though he never wanted to do it in the first place. He had failed, but that didn’t change the fact that the task had ended.

"Come on, Terra," Axel repeated and Terra seriously considered punching him.

Axel's words prodded the dull fire inside him and his temper flared. How dare Axel try to encourage him to go to the Overlords! How dare he suggest that he needed to deal with this! It wasn't any of his fucking business! If he wanted to sit out here and rot until the maggots harvested in his corpse, then he would!

The void  _she_ left in his chest was rapidly filling with vehement rage and unrestrained ire. He couldn't feel empty if he restocked the gaping lacuna with fury and anger.

Roughly, Terra rushed to his feet and wiped the blood off his mouth so forcefully that it almost hurt.  He stormed past Axel, purposely ramming into his desecrated shoulder out of spite as he exited, causing the joint to crack and loosely wobble at Axel's side. He knew Axel was screaming obscenities and cursing him but he didn't hear it. He no longer paid attention and he no longer cared.

The bronze knight really didn't want to do this but he supposed he didn't really have a choice, and since he didn't have a choice, he might as well get it over with.

Terra was angry. He was _really_ angry. He couldn't remember the last time he was this furious or the last time he had gotten himself this worked up. He wanted to hurt someone. Fuck, he might even want to kill someone. He wanted to beat and torture everyone until they felt as bad as he did…

He darted through the town, bumping into people and mercilessly throwing anyone and everyone out of his way, not caring if he hurt them. Secretly, he even hoped that he did. A few times he even considered purposely getting into a fight with a random citizen just so he could get the opportunity to maim or murder someone in cold blood. His inner blood lust was malnourished and it craved sustenance. Terra's avid canines ground in his mouth as he resisted the urge to rip out the throats of the innocent with his ravenous fangs.

Somehow, the Dark Knight avoided butchering guiltless citizens on his trip to Tarnen Palace. He wasn’t sure how he did it, but he did it. He actually managed to quell the craving he had for homicide; he was actually able to keep his itching hands to himself. It was then that he realized he’d had a lot of practice denying himself of what he really wanted and keeping his hands to himself… He had a lot of practice when it came to not giving into his carnal desires…of what he truly wanted to do…like…like ravaging  _her_.

Thinking of her forced him to force open the gates to Tarnen Palace so vigorously that the metal walls shook.

_I hope this whole place falls to the ground. If it does, I won't have to deal with the Overlords or those fucking seers._

Servants and housemaids scurried out of the knight's path as he blazed through the endless, ebony pathways to the Grand Hall. He didn’t ask for an audience nor did he wait for the guards to open the doors for him. For the first time in his life, he simply busted in unannounced.

"Move," he snarled as he slung the guard who tried to open the door for him out-of-the-way and into a nearby wall. The simple guard stumbled and crashed into a decorative table, taking a vase of flowers to the ground with him.

Terra barreled into the oversized room. He did not bow and he did not greet his monarchs. The _last_  thing he wanted to do was be obedient.

"She got away?" Ansem inquired, an amused, knowing sneer on his regal face.

The Keyblade Master openly scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You were not able to stop her?" Xehanort asked calmly and kindly, trying to steady his temperamental servant.

"No," Terra snapped and literally spat at their feet. His mouth had filled with blood again and he wanted to rid himself of the coppery taste that clung to his tongue and he thought here was as good a place as any to do so.

"You have ten seconds to get a hold of yourself, boy," Xemnas threatened, his reddish-yellow eyes constricting into slits as his fists clenched upon his armrests.

"Or what?" Terra challenged. "You’ll punish me? Do it! I’d rather be punished for an eternity than be forced to track that _girl_ down! I would rather die than spend one more second dealing with _your_  fucking project!"

"Compose yourself, Terra," Xehanort advised, somehow keeping his placid tone and demeanor. "We have not given such orders."

"Not yet but you will! I will save you the effort and tell you right now that I’m not doing it!" Terra shouted, his voice so loud that it caused the chandeliers overheat to chime. "I refuse! I’m done with her and I’m done with the rehabilitation! I did what you asked but I am done with it now. I’ll do anything else that you ask. I’ll do any other mission or Purge but don't you dare ask me to deal with… _her_!"

The Overlords exchanged glances.

"What you will and will not do is not for you to decide," Ansem replied, clearly combating the desire to beat the spiteful tone right out of him.

"I said, 'I. AM. DONE'," Terra repeated, his words smothered in vindictiveness.

"You will do as you are told!" Lord Xehanort finally lost his temper.

"No!" The Dark Knight challenged his rulers for the first time in his life. "I'm done with this!"

"Silence!" Xehanort howled as he shot to his feet, Darkness manifesting inside his willowy hands.

"If I say you are going after Aqua, you are going after Aqua! If I tell you to kill her, you are going to kill her! If I tell you to give me her heart, you pry back every single one of her feeble ribs and rip that contemptible organ right out of her chest with your bare hands! If I tell you to jump, you ask how high! If we tell you to do something, then you better fucking do it!" Xehanort pointed a condescending finger at him, Darkness manifesting inside his willowy hands, and for a moment, Terra thought he was about to be shot dead.

Deciding he really didn’t give a fuck, Terra said nothing. The formerly obedient knight turned on his heel and began his journey out of the Grand Hall.

"Terra!" Lord Xehanort boomed.

"I meant what I said!" Terra swiftly spun back around to glare daggers at those on the dais. "I’m not doing it. I want nothing more to do with her!"

Once he finished speaking, he strode angrily out of the Grand Hall.

"This is the Luxord and Mona fiasco all over again," Xehanort groaned as he sank back into his chair and rubbed his creased brow.

"I told you to execute her," Ansem flared condescendingly and crossed his arms over his tattooed chest.

"And I told you to keep your snide remarks to yourself," Xehanort countered, glaring at his fellow ruler.

"Give him time. He will calm down. The wound is still very fresh," Xemnas said. "When he regains proper judgment and his sanity, will we require him to pursue the escapee and her fellow fugitives?"

"No. There is no need," Ansem replied with a shake of his head. "All of this started because she wanted to save her sister, correct?"

"Indeed," Xehanort replied, placing his hands under his bearded chin as his yellow eyes stared at the room's entryway.

"Then we just need to sent him to Palamecia. Aqua will undoubtedly go there in search of her sister and we will have Terra waiting there for her  _if_ he is stable enough to handle her. If he is not capable of finishing the rehabilitation process, we will send someone else there to take  _care_  of her," Lord Ansem declared confidently.

Xehanort slowly nodded his head in approval.

"That will make the Seer Sages job easier as well. We will not have to force them to continuously try to pinpoint her exact location at the right time. I fear we have been pushing them too hard during Aqua's rehabilitation process. That is the only explanation for their insufficiency today. They detected the hazard but they did not receive the vision in time for it to be of any use to us," Lord Xehanort huffed in disappointment.

"They know their limits," Lord Xemnas groused. "It is their job to not push themselves too far. They know the risks that come with their abilities and it is their responsibility to keep their minds and bodies in check. If they were being pushed too far, they should have informed us of their struggles."

"Besides, I think it is time we started putting their abilities to better use. The Opposition is becoming more and more aggressive and the seers need to spend more time watching their potential actions, not the actions of this worthless girl. She has  _clearly_  been overestimated and she is  _clearly_  more trouble than she is worth," Ansem argued feverishly, enunciating each word to voice his displeasure with the decisions made regarding the Child of Light.

"Give the seers a bit of break, give Terra time to calm down, and give Aqua a false sense of security. She will get cocky and undoubtedly go to her sister's rescue. When she does, we will have Terra there to retrieve her. I do not need the Seer Sages to inform me of her predictable actions, I already know what that idiotic wench will do," Lord Ansem spat.

"Very well, Ansem. We will present your suggestions to the Court and if the motion passes you will finally get your way," Lord Xehanort yielded and rubbed his temples in exasperation.

* * *

Aqua waded through the blackened, ankle-deep slop that created the decaying forest floor. With Rainfell in one hand and Snow's feathers in the other, she drifted further and further into the wooded labyrinth outside of Hollow Bastion. Heartless attacked them occasionally and she would have to clumsily dismount and ward off the man-made monsters.

She didn't like fighting Heartless because she knew that they were once people and could still be classified as a person even if they were no longer human. She couldn't keep from feeling like she was committing some form of murder but that didn’t change the fact that she had to defend herself and Naminé (who was still unconscious), so she tried not to dwell on it.

The little strength she left had was waning. She didn’t have the strength to fight them for long. She barely had the strength to keep her heavy eyes open, much less fight rabid Heartless constantly. Once she cleared a path for Snow, they would retreat further into the woodland until the hoards became too overwhelming, forcing her to dismount and fend off the beasts again.

It was a wretched cycle and tiring routine even for someone without a hole in their leg…

Aqua started thinking that she might need to stop trekking further and further into the woods, but she was conflicted. If she got too far, Ven and the others would struggle to find her but it also meant Terra would struggle to find her…

As the torment in her leg intensified and the lacerations on her body begged for treatment, Aqua realized she might not have a choice soon. Her body demanded rest and she could tell that she wouldn’t be able to deny its request for much longer.

"Stop, Snow." Aqua tugged on the pale feathers of his lengthy neck.

Little by little, the young woman slid off Snow's towering back, her feet sinking into the rotted muck that barely qualified as terrain.

"Naminé." the Light Keyblade wielder shook the blonde girl's shoulder but she didn’t budge.

Aqua wanted Naminé to wake up so that she could heal herself and possibly her own wounds too. Carefully, she pulled Naminé into her arms and sat her at the base of a nearby tree. She brushed the radiant locks off of Naminé's face and looked for the abrasion that had rendered her unconscious.

Aqua didn’t know much about head injuries but she knew that a knot or bump was usually a good sign. When she brushed the golden bangs off her pale forehead, she located the large whelp she had received when they busted through the gate. The bulge bled a bit and looked painful but she was still glad to see it, it suggested her head injury was not too severe.

With a harsh exhale, the older girl tried to cast some variation of Cure. She was hoping she could cast Curaga but she doubted she had that kind of strength or the capability to do so.

Dreary hues of green and yellow illuminated over her hands. The anemic spell gradually manifested within her palms and seeped onto Naminé's angelic face but the wound didn’t heal. Just as she had expected, her white magic was still sterile and held no element of life to it.

Aqua inwardly cursed Vexen for taking her magic. She really needed to cast Cure on herself and Naminé but she was physically unable to. She could use black magics but her white magics were barren and completely ineffective. She wouldn't be surprised if some of the Black Mage treatments had been mixed with the magic suppressant. The suppressant was probably designed to suppress her black magic and to progressively extinguish her white magic completely. It made her physically ill to think that they had begun transforming her into the Black Mage the night she arrived.

Night was closing in on them. The blinding orange rays of the sun were disappearing between the many decomposing trees and the already gloomy forest was darkening further. They needed to keep moving but she was so sleepy… Her bloodshot eyes burned and begged for rest.

_Maybe I can close my eyes for just a minute…_ she thought as she broke down beside Naminé and leaned against the tree's rough base.

_"Aqua!"_

Aqua jerked as the masculine voice resonated in the distance.

The voice was vaguely familiar but she was so tired and weak from the massive blood loss her mind couldn't match the voice with a face. She did know the voice wasn’t Terra's but that didn’t mean it wasn’t one of the other knights.

Fear clamped her mouth tightly shut.

_"Aqua!"_

The second voice was soft and feminine, and she recognized it almost instantly.

_Xion. That was definitely Xion. That means the other voice was either Ven or Riku._

"We are over here!" Aqua called, her voice weak. She cleared her raw throat and tried to speak louder. "Over here!"

Footsteps rapidly approached and dread instinctively mounted in her stomach.

What if by calling for her comrades, she had alerted her silent pursuers of her location?

Twigs snapped, muddy sludge gurgled, and foliage squished under the being's weight.

When a young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes weaving between trees and leaping over fallen debris finally came into view, she released a sigh of relief.

"Ven," she breathed, crawling to her feet and gracelessly stumbling toward him.

Aqua's footing gave shortly after she stood and she collapsed into his waiting arms.

Ventus hissed in pain when her weight applied pressure to his busted ribs.

Noticing his obvious discomfort, she jerked away instantly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about you being hurt."

As she tried to pull away, Ven yanked her back to him and held her tightly to him. He didn't care if she crushed every single one of his ribs; he needed to hold her to ensure that she was actually there and that she was safe. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders so she couldn’t get away from him and rested his cheek on her locks of endless blue. He could feel her feeble arms wind around his waist and he closed his eye, enjoying the feel of her presence; a presence he thought he would never experience again.

"Don't worry, I'll be all right," Ventus assured her before slowly (and a bit reluctantly) releasing her from his tight hold. "I just haven't had the chance to heal myself yet."

"I found them! They’re over here!" he called over his shoulder before wheezing and yielding to a coughing fit. He held his hand over his mouth and coughed blood into his fist and swiftly wiped the scarlet fluid onto his clothed hip.

Aqua knew that unpleasant sound. The unnatural wheeze and gurgle was the sound of broken ribs, a Dark Knight specialty. She had heard that same dreadful noise come from Terra's throat when he returned from a strenuous practice and hadn’t had time to heal his injuries yet. She had also heard it come from the other's throats after engaging a nasty spar with Terra. Terra had a thing for busting ribs.

"Your ribs are broken," she said sternly and leaned back to inspect his torso.

"Yeah, Terra got me pretty good across my chest but I'll be okay after a healing session," the young man assured her with a small grin.

"Naminé is unconscious but I don't think she has any severe head trauma. She just got knocked out when we barreled through that gate," Aqua stated timidly as she casted her gaze to the motionless girl at the base of the tree. She was so ashamed that she couldn’t heal her…

"Aqua!" Xion barreled through the forest terrain and made her way towards her. Once she was close enough, she ran into Aqua's waiting arms.

"Hey, stranger," Aqua whispered into Xion's black tresses as she embraced her. The younger girl had grown taller in her absence and Aqua was again reminded of how long she had been gone.

"Where is Riku?" the blue girl asked after she did a swift mental inventory of everyone.

"He’s coming. He wanted to make sure we weren't being followed," Xion replied as she released Aqua and began scanning the area for their missing group member.

Aqua nodded but she knew that just because they didn't hear or see anyone following them didn't mean they weren't being tracked. The Dark Rule had eyes and ears everywhere. She was sure the seers were watching them as they spoke.

As she thought of the Seer Sages, she started to wonder how they had been able to escape at all. Why didn’t they stop her? Didn’t they see these events coming? Maybe they weren't as powerful as she thought or maybe they had a more sinister plot in mind. Maybe letting her go could prove beneficial to them. Maybe her escape was intentional.

An unnatural chill crawled down her spine like a cluster of worms as she felt the invisible hand of the Dark Rule upon her, coaxing her forward, pushing her to an end they found desirable, guiding her to her inevitable destination and predetermined fate. She may act of her own volition but they could still be controlling her in their own twisted way.

Her invisible chains were loose. Her shackles do not inhibit her movements but they were still attached to the chain the Dark Rule held firmly in their vile hands, a chain they lightly tugged to guide her in the  _right_ direction, their direction; the direction that would lead her to their preferred goal. She could be doing exactly what they wanted. It was a trap that was flawless in design because it would be of her own making. Her own decisions could be the ruin of her and her friends.

_"Aqua!"_

The haze departed and her eyes slowly regained focus as she felt Ven shaking her chilled shoulders.

Ventus almost grimaced when he felt the unnatural cold of her skin. Aqua had always had a natural chill but she was downright frigid now. Something was off about her body temperature but he didn't ask, now was not the time to bring it up.

"S-Sorry," she whispered softly, her eyes still dull and distant.

"You need to treat your leg," he apparently repeated although Aqua had no recollection of the first time he uttered those words.

She started to explain that she couldn't but Naminé's voice interrupted her.

"I can do it," she offered with a dazzling smile as Xion helped her back to her feet.

Aqua was out of it.  _Really_  out of it. She didn't remember letting go of Xion and she completely missed them treating Naminé. She didn't even know who had treated her…

_They must think I’m insane. Maybe I am._

"No. You need to rest, Naminé. You had a…had a…" Aqua blanched and what remained of her energy withdrew from body. Her knees buckled and she fell into the murky ooze of the forest floor.

Someone caught her. She could feel arms around her but they weren't the arms she was accustomed to. The arms that held her now had probably been familiar to her at one time but they formed an almost foreign embrace now. They were not the arms she expected. They were not the strong warm arms coated in bronze metal that had been catching her for the last year.

"Terra?" she raved, incoherently asking for his familiarity. Her subconscious demanded to know where her knight was, where the familiar arms were and why he was not the one holding her as he always did. Had those arms abandoned her? Had  _he_  abandoned her?

Aqua hopelessly wrestled with weakness and physical shock as she clawed for consciousness and lucidity.

The voices around her were faint and distorted. Different octaves and tones sounded all around her but she couldn't make sense of them or determine who was speaking.

Coolness spread from her throbbing yet numb leg then shifted up and throughout her entire body. She was being healed. A Curaga that was not icy hot smothered her body and mended the scrapes and tears in her flesh. Then, a second round of the rejuvenating spell concentrated on the deep, grotesque, throbbing wound in her leg.

"It’s healing but it won't help with the blood loss, " Naminé explained as she held her hands on the gaping hole in Aqua's thigh and inspected the deathly pale shade of her skin. The injury was so severe Naminé had to administer several rounds of Cure before it finally mended.

"Why didn't she heal herself? Why didn't she heal herself when it happened?" Ven inquired skeptically. It didn't make sense; Aqua had always been an excellent healer and she knew better than to let an injury of that caliber go untreated.

"Better yet, why did she just call me Terra?" Riku mused as she supported Aqua's upper body so Naminé could treat her damaged limb.

"Don't listen to her ravings. She’s incoherent. She probably doesn't even know she said it. Don't rush to judgment. We don't know what she has been through…" Xion said with a shake of her head.

Once the healing stopped, Aqua could feel velvety fingertips brushing her hair off her face. The overwhelming pain in her leg had finally subsided but she was still very weak and she knew the injury would still be sensitive for a while. It would probably scar as well since it went untreated for so long.

Slowly, Aqua's somber sapphire eyes reopened but they still didn’t take in her surroundings.

"Thank you," she whispered to whoever mended her leg as she shifted and tried to sit up.

"Easy. You’ve lost a lot of blood. I honestly don't even know how you’re even functioning right now," Riku stated as he helped her sit upright.

"Adrenaline rush," the young woman declared as she staggered to her feet. "We need to keep moving."

"You need to rest." Ventus took hold of her arm in an attempt to stop her from rushing further into the hazardous wood.

"I'm fine," she tried not to snap and began pulling her arms away from him.

"You’re not fine. None of us are. We need to make camp and rest, " Ven argued and tried not to surrender to another hacking fit that would surely result in him coughing up more of his crimson vital fluid.

"No we need to keep moving! We really won't be fine if they catch us!" Aqua countered, shoving past Naminé and Xion and trekking to her chocobo.

"They aren't pursuing us right now. I stayed behind to make sure of it. And I don't know if you noticed or not, but you’ve traveled really far into these woods," Riku added.

"You don't get it! They are watching us! They are surveying every single move we make and they are probably listening to what I'm saying right now! We have to keep moving we…we…" Aqua's heated rebuttal began to trail off.

What good would running do? Why  _did_  they need to keep moving? If they were coming to get them, they were coming to get them. If death approached, it approached. There was no escaping its inevitability.

"Aqua…" Naminé whispered and held her hands over her mouth as she watched Aqua threaten to fall apart. She had never seen Aqua this unnerved or this frantic. She was always so strong, so sturdy. She had always been their strength and to see her like this now was devastating.

"They will catch us. They will figure out where we are going before we even think about going there. They’ve done it before and they will do it again. They know. They know…” Aqua held her chaotic, disarranged head in her quivering hands.

"Even if they know, they still have to go through the process of actually finding us and stopping us. Besides, you know none of us are going down without a fight." Ven tried to be her strength for he knew she had none of her own at that moment. He could feel her helplessness, the tart hopelessness that consumed her, that threatened to consume them all.

"Don't you understand? None of that matters! We have to move!" she cried frantically, her fear unhinging her and making her irrational.

For some reason, she’d come to the conclusion that staying on the move would somehow be their salvation. She thought that if they stopped moving, they were as good as dead. Aqua didn't have a specific destination or goal in mind she just wanted to keep moving. She didn’t care where she ended up. She just needed to get as far away from that place and those people as possible, and she couldn't do that if she wasn't moving. No amount of distance would ever be far enough… She had to keep moving… She had to keep moving…

"Aqua, please!" Ventus begged, tugging at her fleeting shoulders. "Trust me! Please, we need to rest. If what you say is true, then it doesn't matter what we do so we might as well rest so we will have a better chance. If they come after us, we will need our strength. Aqua, we can't travel like this."

Aqua shook her head in discontentment. They didn't get it. They just couldn't comprehend how bleak their situation was, how strong the seers were. They hadn’t experienced their powers… They hadn’t felt Marluxia's scythe and silky tentacles delving into every wrinkle of their brain… They hadn’t felt Larxene's electric current rolling through them…and they hadn’t been victims of Zexion’s mind games, they hadn’t seen his eyes eerily roll into the back of his head as he _literally_  wrote the future into his fathomless book.

"Aqua…" Xion meekly approached her. "I don't know what they did to you in there…or what you went through…or what you saw…but you need to remember that your will is still your own. They can't control  _everything_. Our hope and our choices are still ours. They may try to mold the future but it’s still _our_ future."

"Hope?" Aqua mused. It had been so long since she had though of that word, of that concept. Hope didn’t exist within Tarnen Palace.

"Xion is right," Naminé agreed. "They may try to control our fate but it’s still  _our_  fate. They… They can't keep us from trying. They can't control our decisions or our thoughts. They are still ours. I know it isn't much but…we have to think about what we do have instead of what we don't… Remember?"

If she had any tears left to cry, Aqua would’ve cried. It had been so long since she had been around positive people…around genuine Light…around her family that she’d forgotten what it was like. She’d forgotten how she used to think. She used to be like her adopted sisters…optimistic and bright and…hopeful. Master Eraqus had always taught them to think about what they had instead of what they didn't have. It was the only thing that made their dreary, oppressed life bearable, it was what kept them going, it was what kept them happy and hopeful, and she’d forgotten how to think that way. She’d immersed herself in woe, gloom, and pessimism for so long that she didn't know anything else.

Her eyes darted between each of her friends. They watched her with concerned, suspicious eyes. She couldn't even imagine what they must be thinking…

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. It was all she could think to say.

Aqua covered her face in her hands in shame. "You have risked so much for me and I..." She swallowed hard and watched each of them with distressed eyes.

“Of course, we did! We couldn’t just stand by while you were in trouble,” Xion declared with a vibrant smile as the others nodded their agreement.

"I-I just... Thank you." She tried her best to voice her gratitude but she felt she could never truly express how grateful she was to them.

"Alright." Aqua sighed and attempted to regain some of her feeble rationality. "You win. We will make camp and start over early tomorrow when we have had a chance to recover and rest a bit."

"Thank you," Ven replied.

"But someone needs to keep watch. We will have to schedule shifts," she added.

She didn't know how much good it would do but they still had to try. She had to operate as if she was in control of her fate even if she wasn't. What other choice did she have? She couldn't just sit around and wait for the slaughter.

"I will take the first watch," Riku offered and began searching for firewood.

"Riku?" Aqua inquired.

The Dark Keyblade Master glanced back at her. “Hmm?”

"What is the closest neutral town?"

Aqua wasn't sure what their plan should be and she was too tired to think about anything other than their immediate safety, but she did know that no matter what they did, they needed to regroup and get supplies. She also knew they needed to avoid staying in the Dark Realm for too long and that they should try to get to a neutral or maybe even an occupied town.

"Hmm… Dali, I think. It isn't too far. If we leave early in the morning, we might be able to get there in a few days," he answered, rubbing the back of his head in contemplation.

"Do you think we should go there to stock up on supplies? Is it safe?"

"As safe as any other neutral town." He shrugged. "We would probably be safe there for a day or so. We’ve learned that most places are relatively safe if you don't stay for too long. Anyway, I think Dali is a good a place as any, and it’s close to ZoZo."

"ZoZo?" Aqua scoffed curiously, "What does that place have to do with anything?"

Riku’s eyes locked with hers. "We met a woman there and I think you need to meet her."

* * *

Terra wanted to be alone. He wanted to be alone so he could wallow in the feeling that he now recognized as genuine grief. Underneath all the rage and anger was nothing but pure pain, pain he hid by lacing it with fury. No one would be able to see his sadness for the wrath he exuded. It was how he coped. It was what he had always done. If all else fails, get angry.

His pace had slowed. He no longer blazed down the hallways in blind fury. Pain was currently proving victorious. Not even his temper could fend off the intensifying discomfort that had begun swarming in his chest when the realization of losing _her_  firmly manifested itself within in conscious mind.

It burned. It stung and it was only getting worse as the reality of it all was permanently setting in. She was gone and she would probably be dead soon. She might as well be dead. She was dead to him now…for leaving him…

_But she_ **did** _ask you to come with her. She wasn't necessarily trying to leave you,_ a righteous voice that sounded a lot like  _her_ tried to reason with him.

"Yeah right," Terra scoffed aloud. "What would I have done with… _them_? I know what they think of me. It’s the same thing she thinks. The kid said it. They think I'm a monster. Like I could have gone with them…with her. I can't coexist with them. Even if I had wanted to go with her, even if I had…it never would’ve worked. Everyone was right… We never could’ve worked… She could never love me, not the way that I love her."

_What was I thinking?  Why did I think that she could…? That we could… It’s impossible. Even if we had somehow managed to make it work, what would we tell people? What would we tell our kids if we ever had any? Tell them that the first words she ever spoke to me were_ 'let go' _?_

"I'm a fucking idiot," Terra chastised before casually entering his room.

Upon opening his door, he discovered Larxene hovering around his mahogany desk like a golden-haired wraith.

Terra instantly bristled at the sight of her and Dark Fire almost spewed from his mouth.

Larxene's deviant eyes of emerald-green peered across the room at him and a small smile blossomed across her plump, pink lips.

The bronze knight quickly responded to her smile with a menacing scowl. He was not in the mood for her shit and his scowl was a warning that she would heed if she knew what was good for her.

"Hello, Terra," she greeted elegantly, placing a stand of sleek, chin length gold behind her ear.

"Get out," he growled, his indigo eyes dark and his posture intimidating.

Larxene was almost afraid. Almost.

"Did your bluebird fly away?" she taunted with a deceivingly lovely smile, her arms folded loosely over her practically exposed chest. As always, she wore a tight, black dress with a plunging neckline.

Terra glared at her.

"She was so cute," she mocked and she strolled around his quarters, "but behind that beautiful face she plotted awful things."

The Dark Knight followed the seeress's jade gaze and noticed the wet spots on his floor and his demolished bedside table. It looked like the lock had been frozen then kicked off. That would explain the puddles on the carpet and the drawer's lopsided posture. Terra assumed that  _she_ came for Rainfell and that was why she was waiting for him in the hall by his room that morning. She’d broken into his room and took Rainfell for insurance so she could escape.

As Terra took in the state of his room and tried to figure out just how long  _she_ had been planning on escaping, he also caught onto Larxene's implications.

"You knew… You knew she would escape! You knew everything! All of you did but you did _nothing_ to stop it! You let this happen!" Terra roared as painful realization overcame him.

The knight marched toward her and used all of his restraint to not grab her by her reprehensible neck and choke the life right out of her.

"Now, now. Don't go rushing to conclusions. That isn't  _entirely_  true. I’m the only one who let her escape. Everyone else knew about your potential little love story though. It was a sacrifice everyone was willing to make in order to obtain their  _precious,_  little Black Mage. You’re forever the faithful and productive tool Terra, even when you aren't aware of it." Larxene closed the remaining distance between them and wiped some of his blood off the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

_My potential love story? Sacrifice… They… They knew I would fall in love with her? That I could fall in love with her? They let it happen… Fuck, they probably_ **wanted** _it to happen… They knew from the very beginning. So that was why I was assigned to her… They were going to use my love for her to break her, to win her over…to obtain their loyal Black Mage. I was the sacrifice. No, my feelings were._

They had used him. He was an out-and-out puppet. His emotions weren't even his own. Terra always knew he was a physical instrument, but he had always thought he was in control of his emotions, his feelings. He thought he could control things like whom he loved and whom he chose to care about but apparently, that wasn’t true. The first time he loved someone, _truly_ loved someone, it only because the Overlords wanted to use that feeble emotion as a tool to get what they wanted. They didn't just use him physically; they used him emotionally.

His puppet strings were woven into every muscle, every tissue, every bone, and every nerve in his body. The strings were even sown into his heart. They knit, twisted, and intertwined into every artery, vein, ventricle, and atrium of the enslaved organ that lived within his chest.

Nothing was truly his. Nothing.

Before his mind could travel into even more depressing territory, he decided to change the subject to what he really wanted to know.

"Why? Why did you let her escape?" Terra gripped the Seer Sage’s delicate shoulders so hard she almost winced. "How could you even get away with that?"

"You underestimate me. It was simple. I wanted Aqua gone. I saw a future where her friends came to rescue her. It was a new development, one I chose to keep it to myself so no preemptive action would be taken to prevent it," the manipulative seeress confessed emotionlessly, trying not to react to the pain Terra was causing her by gripping her shoulders so tightly. "I simply kept the event under my hood until I was sure that nothing could be done about it. I waited until you roughed Axel and Vanitas up and I waited until the other knights were deployed so Vanitas and Axel would be the only ones around to aid you. Once I knew the future had been set into motion, I went to the Overlords and told them that she was planning an escape in the Outer Gardens. After that, they sent Vanitas an Axel to the Outer Gardens to try to keep the escape from occurring but I already knew it was in vain by the time I informed them of it.”

"I still don't understand. What about Marluxia and Zexion? How were you able to deceive the Court in such a way on your own?" Terra liberated her shoulders.

"Marluxia agreed to help me. Marluxia and I agreed that things would be better without her. We saw a more promising future and it didn't involve her despite popular belief." Her jade eyes rolled. "And Zexion wasn’t a problem; a minor obstacle. He has been so busy helping Vexen with the Heartless lately that Marluxia and I are usually the only ones around to provide visions to the Overlords."

_So, Marluxia was in on it too. Figures._

"So this was about power? You and Marluxia couldn't stand the thought of someone taking the shine off the Seer Sages? Light forbid anyone take your powerful place at the Overlords side where you two can secretly manipulate them and eventually, beat the system and get a free ticket to an empty throne. You two can fool them but you can't fool me, I know you two only divulge what you want so fate will befall as you see fit." The Dark Knight stormed to the other side of his room, grabbing fistfuls of his hair in vexation as he went.

"Oh, Terra. You are overreacting. This is the first time Marluxia and I have ever kept visions from our Lords. We can only do so much with Zexion around. Besides, power is only  _half_ of the reason why she needed to be gotten rid of. For Marluxia it was about power but I did it for the greater good," Larxene’s sleek voice was suddenly tender as she followed him across the room and took his face in her wickedly soft hands. 

"And I did it for you," she purred and caressed his hardened face, her sharp nails slithering into his dark brown mane and scraping his scalp. "Things will be better for everyone this way. Without her, things can go back to the way they are supposed to be."

"Get out" he hissed, his hands clenching at his sides until he drew blood.

"You will thank me for this one day, Terra."

"Get out!" Terra grabbed her wrists, and wretched her hands off his face. He honestly felt that he was a few seconds away from hitting her.

Larxene’s eyes narrowed at him as he held her hands away from his face. "I guarantee you that you are the only one that will see this as a misfortune.”

" _GET THE FUCK OUT!"_ he boomed, throwing her hands back at her and punching a nearby wall so hard that the metal groaned and bent under his inhuman force. "I am choosing to ignore this conversation and I am even going to ignore your treachery. I will keep it to myself if you will just get out of my fucking sight!"

Larxene's eyes quivered and her lip puckered in frustration. Electricity hissed around her and prickled at the ebony armor that adorned Terra's sturdy body.

There was a long-suffering moment where all they did was glare daggers at one another, waiting for one of them to inevitably back down, waiting to see if she would electrocute him or if he would punch her.

Eventually, Larxene surrendered with a huff. She bolted to the door and almost yanked it off the hinges but before she exited completely, she faltered. "Oh, by the way, bluebird was nice enough to leave a letter for you. It’s on your desk." With that, slammed the door behind her, leaving him alone to process everything that had just transpired.

He was a tool. He had been used. He had been manipulated. His careless emotions had betrayed him. His Masters had betrayed him, his loyalty, and his trust. Not to mention, Larxene and Marluxia were traitors and had helped  _her_ escape. It was way too much to take in and Terra was livid. Again.

Darkness oozed and dripped off his quaking fingertips as frothy blackness bubbled out of his mouth.

Roughly wiping the secretions from his mouth, the knight clumsily made his way to his desk. He staggered to the desk and bellowed as he shoved all of the objects off its surface except the rolled letter with a neat, leather bow wrapped around it.

When he saw the neat bow _she_ had made, tis temper crumbled. He blanched and painful, barbed globs gathered in his throat until he felt he would choke to death.

Hesitantly, he reached for the rolled piece of parchment and tried to swallow the sour, acidic bile in his throat.

The paper had surprising weight and he realized the leather bow was actually a band attached to an orange Wayfinder, one that was identical to  _hers_.

He scoffed bitterly and shifted the trinket off the letter and rolled the paper out so he could inspect its contents...

_Terra,_

_The Wayfinder attached to this letter is yours. I made it for you shortly after I made my own. This Wayfinder is more than just good luck charm, it represents an unbreakable connection, and despite everything, I honestly believe that we share an unbreakable connection. We have a unique bond that no one else could possibly understand, one that I hardly understand, one that blossomed despite the harsh and hopeless conditions it was exposed to. You understand what I went through here, what we went through together and as long as you carry the Wayfinder I made you, nothing can ever drive us apart. Even if we aren't together anymore, the legend says that we will always find a way back to each other. Maybe in another life, we can find each other again. I want this Wayfinder to not only represent you finding your way back to me, but more importantly, I want it to help you find yourself. I believe in you, Terra. Please, stay strong for me._

_Aqua_

Terra clenched the lavender and jasmine scented piece of paper so tightly against his chest that the letter crumpled and wrinkled into an unrecognizable wad.

All the anger, all the hatred, and all rage, suddenly faded into incurable grief and sadness. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought the intensifying pain and torment in his chest. It burned and he felt like an inferno was eating him from the inside out. He fought the stinging behind his vacant eyes and the agony that stirred in the void  _she_  had left in the blood-pumping organ he had once considered a heart.

The sweltering Fire that scorched his sternum, charred his ribs, and scalded his entrails manifested in his hands and burned the innocent letter to cinders. The ash of  _her_ letter slipped through his fingers and floated to the lush, crimson carpet below.

Terra's eyes glazed over as he stared at the embers that hovered on his palms and levitated ethereally around him.

He felt numb. He felt empty.

Glossy, dark blue eyes glanced over to the charm that slept upon his mahogany desk. His ash-covered hands reached for the harmless charm as he prepared to examine the worthless knickknack.

He held the charm out in front of him and seriously considered shattering it into a million pieces and proceeding to set his entire fucking room on fire.

Terra gently gripped the orange good luck charm in his large hand and tried to figure out why he shouldn't demolish it right then and there. It would be easy. All he had to do was clench his hand a little tighter and the worthless knickknack would break, then he could easily grind it to dust within his powerful grip.

He needed to just go ahead and do just that. It was literally a memento of his failure, a trophy to symbolize his stupidity and carelessness. Why would he want a physical representation of his loss? Why would he want a tangible evidence of what he had lost? Why would he want a tribute to what almost was but never would be? Why would he hold onto such a bitter reminder? He had no fucking clue but he was just crazy enough to gingerly slip the precious trinket into the pocket within his armor.

_An unbreakable connection…? Sure. Whatever you say, Blue…Whatever you say._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
> 
> Ah ha! You thought she wasn't going to give him the Wayfinder, didn't you! Nope! She just found a better use for it. She left it behind in case he didn't come with her and since he didn't, here you go!
> 
> Okay, now lets talk about Larxene a bit. I'm going to confirm that Larxene is in fact the reason Aqua was able to escape. Remember, Larxene wanted Aqua gone (at the end chapter 19 that was addressed in case you want to go back and make the connection between that chapter and this one). It was unlikely that Aqua was going to be executed, and remember, the Overlords want her to be the Black Mage so they have been avoiding the execution result. So this was Larxene's last chance to be rid of her. Since execution was an unlikely option, Larxene made another option that would get Aqua out-of-the-way and into trouble. So the Seer Sages aren't failures like I led you to believe in the last chapter. Larxene and Marluxia just manipulated the system. Remember, the Overlords cannot prevent what they have no knowledge of. This stuff will be addressed again later so don't worry if it doesn't make complete sense right now. And yes, Terra is purposely avoiding thinking or uttering Aqua's name so just get use to that. He needs to brood so just let him get it out of his system.
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone that has stuck with this story and continues to do so. I truly appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	24. All That You Can't Leave Behind

* * *

_It’s hard letting go_

_I’m finally at peace but it feels wrong_

_Slow I’m getting up_

_My hands and feet are weaker than before_

_You are folded on the bed where I rest my head_

_There’s nothing I can see, darkness becomes me_

_But I’m already there, I’m already there_

_Wherever there is you, I will be there too_

_There’s nothing that I take back_

_But it’s hard to say there’s nothing I regret_

_Cause when I sing, you shout_

_I breathe aloud_

_You bleed, we crawl like animals_

_But when it’s over, I’m still awake_

_\- Of Monsters and Men, Silhouettes_

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Naminé inquired from her perch upon Snow's massive back, her tone exasperated and tired.

"We should be getting close," Riku insisted as he walked next to a very quiet Aqua.

The blue girl was quiet, too quiet. Her words were few and she didn’t speak unless spoken to. That was how she had been since they left for Dali and there was no sign of that changing.

"You okay?" Ven finally had to ask as he glanced over his shoulder at Aqua.

"Hmm?" she responded softly, looking a bit lost. "Oh, yeah. I'm okay."

Everyone exchanged glances. Clearly, Aqua was not okay but they couldn't help her unless she stopped freezing them out. She refused to talk at all much less about what happened to her and the others were too afraid to ask. Aqua was clearly in a fragile state and they didn’t want to make things any harder on her by asking questions that might upset her.

Tension built in the air and Aqua sighed. She knew she was putting them on edge and worrying them but she couldn't help it. There was too much to say and she just wasn't ready to say  _any_ of it yet. Questions needed to be answered and consciences needed to be set at ease but she just couldn't do it.

"I don't know about any of you but I am dying to take a bath," she said, trying to imitate her old self as she glanced down at her bloodied body.

"Definitely," Xion agreed, "I can't remember the last time I had an actual bath."

"Me either," Naminé concurred, patting Snow's head.

Just like that the conversation ended. Aqua could no longer put in anymore input because she _could_  remember the last time she had a bath. She took them frequently in Tarnen Palace. She took luxurious bubble bathes in oversized tubs of hard, crystalline marble on a daily basis while an ebony knight sat in the floor next to the tub and conversed with her…

Instinctively, Aqua reached into her pocket and pulled out her blue Wayfinder.

"That's pretty. Where’d you get it?" Naminé asked.

"Oh. Um, I made it," the older girl confessed, her answer vague.

"You made that?" Xion asked in awe and her blue-violet eyes widened.

"Yeah. I… I had a lot of free time…” Aqua stated somberly.

Silence.

"It isn't anything special but I did work a little magic on it." She tried to lighten the mood and struggled to not say 'them'. No one needed to know that she had made one for Terra as well.

"I think I finally see the clearing!" Ventus cried in excitement. Like the rest of them, he had grown weary of all the dreary forest scenery.

"Thank goodness," Aqua breathed when she too saw green grass and more golden rays of sunshine leaking through the thinning tree lining ahead of them.

As they made their way through the forest, Aqua had noticed that the further away from the Dark Capital they got, the healthier their surroundings became. It was as if the unholy city was corrupting the innocent world around it, draining the life from it. Hollow Bastion was beautiful but only because it mercilessly sucked the life and beauty out of the realm surrounding it.

Cautiously, they entered the bright green, sun-filled meadow. The daylight felt magnificent on her deprived skin. She closed her eyes and indulged in the warming rays. It felt wonderful on her frigid skin since magic suppressant still lingered in her veins and her temperature continued to drop as it fended off the last of the destructive substance.

"Is that it?" Xion asked when a small town with an unusual, towering windmill and rounded establishments slowly came into view.

"That's it," Riku replied.

"About time," Ventus groaned and stretched his arms towards the welcoming beams of the sun.

"Hey, I can't help that it took us so long to get out here!" the silver-haired young man playfully yet lightly pushed Ven's shoulder.

"It looks small. That’s a good thing. The Dark Overlords don't bother with places like this unless they suspect Opposition members are hiding there," Aqua stated passively. No one dared to ask how she knew such things.

After crossing the flattened field of green between the woodland and civilization, they entered the small village of Dali.

The town contained few homes, several shops, and an inn. A small group of children quietly played on the lush, green grass by a crumbling well within the center of the town. As Aqua’s eyes followed the children, she noticed Dali didn’t have streets, just cumbersome stone paths that led inhabitants to the few possible destinations within the town.

The village was supposedly neutral but it was clearly a victim of a Purge. Aqua could tell by the lack of adults and by the obvious reconstruction of some of the town's establishments.

"Let's get a room. I'm exhausted and I think I need to work on my ribs again," Ventus declared, trying to stretch out the dull ache in his torso.

Nodding, Aqua and the others concurred and followed him toward the inn.

The group of five entered the inn and a short woman with big, brown eyes and ebony hair greeted them. Her curly locks were pulled into a tight bun on top of her head. She was rounded and looked downright jolly.

"Hello, hello, hello!" she called excitedly and she looked the group over.

The woman's smile slowly faded as she noticed their gruff, ragged appearance. They were clearly worn and sullied from their escape, their travels in the perilous woodland, and their almost constant encounters with Heartless.

"Fugitives?" The innkeeper instantly inquired, causing the party to bristle. "I'm sorry. I can't help you. As you can probably tell, our town has suffered enough already. I cannot risk brining more harm upon this village.”

"We won't stay long," Ventus pleaded. "We’ll leave early tomorrow morning."

The woman shook her head. "You’ll leave, but your trail won't. They will follow your trail here and we will reap the consequences after you depart." Her tone wasn’t cruel; she was merely concerned for her home.

As Riku and Ven continued to plead with the innkeeper, Aqua examined the woman. She wasn't sure but she thought she might have another way to convince her to let them say. Subtly chewing her bottom lip, Aqua tried to remember the question Zack had told her to ask if she ever needed sanctuary in an occupied or neutral town. At first, she’d thought he was insane for telling her such dangerous information but now she wished she had paid more attention to him and his advice.

"Is the Light allowed to shine here?" Aqua asked as confidently as she could while still trying to keep her voice low.

She was _very_ skeptical and just knew the woman would look at her as if she were ill but she still hoped that somehow this woman would understand the Opposition code. It was a risk. A big one but they were already fugitives so she figured she didn't have much to lose. Dealing with the Opposition in any way was a death wish but Aqua already had the seal of death upon her back. She had nothing to lose…

The plump innkeeper's eyes widened. "Who wants to know?"

"Someone who believes in the balance," Aqua responded, her eyes beseeching and her tone dire.

Her companions looked at her as if she’d finally gone completely mad, but the woman smiled at her.

"Come with me." The rounded lady motioned from them to follow her further into the small Inn and over the grass-stained flooring.

The innkeeper led them back to a room suite with a queen sized bed and sizable bathroom. Once everyone entered the room, she shut and locked the door.

"I know you are not a member, so I’m gonna need you to tell me how you know those words." The woman's tone was demanding but Aqua knew that she had gained her trust.

"Do you know a man named Zack? Tall? Black hair? Blue eyes? Loud? Kind of goofy?" Aqua ignored the small pang in her chest as she described her old friend. It had been so long since she had seen him she forgot how much she missed him.

The chubby female smiled brilliantly. "Yes! I remember him! Charming young man. How is he?"

Aqua's wounded heart sank and her eyes fell. “I… I don’t know. I haven't seen him in a long time.”

"Don't worry. Just because you haven't seen him doesn't mean he is dead," the woman sincerely explained and took one of Aqua's hands in silent assurance. "Not seeing Opposition members for long periods of time is the norm. They have to hide out as if they are dead. They cannot exist and not existing is not an easy task."

Aqua slowly bobbed her understanding. She already knew most of this. Zack had informed her of it before he left. She supposed that he hoped that one day it might save her if she ever got into trouble…since trouble was inevitable for Children of Light.

"If you don't mind me asking…when did you see him? How long ago?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Hmm, a few months ago," the innkeeper replied.

Aqua shamelessly sighed in relief. It had been over a year since she had seen Zack, so he was okay—at least he was a few months ago.

"Now if you don't mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions. I need to know what I’m getting myself into by letting you stay in my Inn," the black-haired woman said, still skeptically inspecting her blood-covered guests.

"Of course," Aqua willingly complied and beamed at the woman.

"You are Children of Light. Yes?"

The group nodded even though technically Riku wasn't a Child of Light but they didn't see the point of explaining that tiny detail.

"Then what are you doing this close to the Dark Realm?" the woman asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

Everyone looked at Aqua.

"I was captured almost a year ago. I was taken to the Hollow Bastion to be rehabilitated. A few days ago my friends came to the capital to help me and we managed to escape. We’ve been traveling for a while now and we thought it would be best if we came here to rest." Purposely, Aqua kept her explanation brief, vague, and to the point.

"How did you leave the Dark Capital? No one has ever escaped from Hollow Bastion!" the innkeeper exclaimed in shock and bewilderment but hope shone in her eyes.

Aqua shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know how we managed it. I’m still coming to terms with it myself. I just know that we did and now we need somewhere to stay and regroup."

"Of course. How long will you stay?"

"Just a day. We will leave in the morning."

"You can stay as long as you like. No charge. Any friend of the Opposition is a friend of mine, and anyone that can escape from the Dark Capital deserves all the help they can get. Oh, and my name is Hazel.”

“Thank you, Hazel. My name is Aqua and this is Riku, Ventus, Naminé, and Xion,” Aqua explained, carefully pointing to each individual member of her group.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you all. You must be exhausted… Do you need anything? Food? Water?"

"Yes, but we can get all of that ourselves. We don't want to trouble you anymore than we already have. The room is enough. Thank you," Riku said and began strolling around the tiny room.

"At least let me get some water for you to take a bath," Hazel’s eyes lingered on the dried, caked up blood that coated most of Aqua's skin.

"I would love a bath, thank you," Aqua responded elegantly and instantly hated herself for sounding like the palace brat the Overlords had turned her into. She hated admitting how spoiled she had become and how use she was to having people wait on her hand and foot.

With that, Hazel left to retrieve the water and Ven immediately plopped onto the bed.

"Naminé!" he called, holding his arm over his eyes. "My ribs!"

Aqua and Xion chuckled. It wasn't funny that Ven's ribs were bothering him but it was funny to watch him display irritation.

"Coming!" Naminé replied with a giggle and sat on the soft bed next to her brother. "Which side is it again?" she asked and her hands began to glow vibrant hues of yellow, white, and green.

"Left," Ven groaned and slowly rolled to his side. He could easily heal himself but Namine was the best and most effective healer within their group since she didn’t practice any form of black magic.

As Aqua watched Naminé’s hands start to glow vibrant hues of yellow, white, and green, she wished she could have offered to heal him but she couldn’t. It was physically impossible and she wasn't ready to explain why she couldn't use white magic yet. Explaining that each month she was held to an icy examining table and injected with a thick, pea green serum that caused her to vomit and seizure would not be a pleasant conversation. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them…

Eventually, Hazel returned with several large buckets of water in her hands.

"Oh! No! I never would have asked for a bath if knew you didn't have running water!" Aqua ran to the woman’s side and took some of the buckets from her.

She felt awful. The Dark Rule had given her a load of new, nasty, and selfish habits that she would have to break…

"It is no trouble, child. We do this all the time. Come along," Hazel responded nonchalantly and led Aqua into the bathroom.

Aqua shut the door behind them and was shockingly relieved to be alone. She was glad to be with her friends, she was downright ecstatic but at the same time, she felt that she needed to be alone so that she could put herself back together. If she were to regain their trust and if they were going to regain hers, she would have to learn to talk to them again and she wouldn't be able to talk to them until she regained her self-control.

"You poor thing," Hazel mused softly, watched Aqua intently. "I’m sorry for what happened to you. Truly. I am."

"Thank you," Aqua replied in a low tone, not sure how to respond.

"Do you need me to heat your water?" Riku asked from the other side of the frail, wooden door.

"No. That's okay. I can do it," she said without thinking and winced instantly.

"Wait, what?" she faintly heard Ventus exclaim.

Aqua could hear them conversing among themselves. They were wondering how she could heat her bathwater. They wondered if she could cast Fire now and if so, how did she learn to do so?

Bitterly, the blue Keyblade wielder began to ponder over the hypocrisy of it all. They had gained new abilities in their time apart. They’d advanced and grown. Why couldn't she? They were much stronger than they had been the last time she had seen them but _she_ wasn't making a big deal out of it.

_Because they gained their abilities in a normal setting… You gained yours in the Dark Capital. Terra taught you._

_Terra…_

The thought of Terra made her already tender heart clinch. She hadn't really thought of him since she’d been reunited with her friends in the woods. He was another reason she needed to be alone. She needed to confront her demons and she needed to come to terms with what had happened to her. She needed to accept it and move on from it and she couldn’t do that with her friends…not yet. She needed to help herself first, and then she would be able to let them support her.

Once all the water was in the tub, Hazel left and Aqua shut the door behind her but found she was too afraid to lock it.

Slowly, she began to remove her clothes and the bandages she used to hide her scars.

She would need new attire. Her sash was ruined and she was sure she would never be able to remove the bloodstains from her shirt. She’d lost her last material possessions from her home but she had her family with her now so she could accept the materialistic loss.

Unhurriedly, Aqua threw her legs over the side of the marble tub and sank down into the lukewarm liquid. She closed her stinging eyes and exhaled harshly through her nose. Steam hissed from her nostrils and the water began to boil as her body temperature rose.

Terra had been right; the initial casting was the hardest. Fire wasn’t a challenge anymore, especially now that the magic suppressant was waning.

With a deep inhale Aqua completely submerged herself in the rounded tub. Holding her breath, she listened to the muffled hum of liquid filling her ears to the brim. When her lungs could take no more, she finally resurfaced and saw the clear water was now tinted pink with her blood.

This bathroom was silent. Terra wasn’t there to converse with her while she bathed and he wouldn’t there to get a towel for her when she finished. She wouldn’t feel him chivalrously wrap the towel around her bare form. He could not do any of those things for her because he didn't come with her…

Numbness devoured her body with the realization. He didn't come with her… She should have just left. She knew he would’ve never come with her. She was an idiot to think that he would leave his home and bizarre family for her. She was a fool to think that there might be more to him and that he could change.

If she saw him again, their perpetual truce would finally be broken. They would no longer be able to pretend that they weren’t enemies. They could no longer skillfully walk the thin, delicate cable that rested between ally and enemy, love and hate, Light and Darkness.

Secretly, she hoped it would never come to that. She would gladly live the rest of her life without seeing his face ever again if it meant that she could avoid fighting him. The last thing she wanted to do to fight him. It would be better if they never saw each other again.

Her eyes glazed over as she thought of all this, staring blankly at her feet as they bobbed in and out of the rosy water. She supposed she could live without seeing him again because the man she would see wouldn’t be the man she cared for. If she met him again, he wouldn’t smile at her, he wouldn’t run his fingers through her hair, and he wouldn’t speak to her tenderly. He would attack her. Terra would break her bones, lacerate her veins, and curse her.

Aqua wondered if he had read her letter and if he had destroyed his Wayfinder yet. Was he angry? Was he sad? Or was he indifferent? Perhaps he didn’t care. Maybe it didn't matter to him at all anymore.

Her body lowered further into the water until her mouth was covered at the thought. She felt that she might cry, but she didn't have any tears left. She had cried so much over the past few days it felt physically impossible to do so anymore.

 _You’ve been such a crybaby you shouldn't even be_ **allowed** _to cry anymore._

Aqua would miss him. She had been truthful when she told him she hoped they would find their way back to each other, but she also hoped that he would be a different person when they did. Someone who wasn't loyal to the Dark Rule, someone who wasn't blinded by Darkness, someone who could see past the corruption and disturbing propaganda, someone who would’ve gone with her. However, she knew that man could probably only exist in another life, not this one.

' _In another life…do you think…that we could have been…friends?'_

She sniffled and held her face in her hands. She wanted to let him go. She _needed_ to let him go. Terra was what made her dwell on the past and adhere to her life as a citizen of the Dark Realm. He made her hold onto the horrible memories because he was a part of those memories. By letting go of her time in Tarnen, she would also be letting go of her time with him.

If Aqua was going to be able to help her friends and if she was going to be able to move on, she would have to leave those perplexing feelings behind. She couldn’t defend her friends from him if she let her tenderness for him cloud her judgment. If it came to it, she would have to fight Terra. If she didn't, she and her friends would be imprisoned or killed.

Gingerly, she wiped the water drops off of her face and pulled her hair over her shoulder.

Yes. Aqua needed to let go of Terra, but she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to let go of him completely. An unbreakable connection had been made and she could not change that and maybe a small part of her didn't want to.

_But I have to. Outside of Tarnen Palace it will be as though it never happened. It will have to be as though it never happened. That is how it should be and that is how it will be._

She needed to find her strength again. She needed to recover what had been taken from her, her strength, her hope, her pride, and herself. Aqua couldn't go back to whom she was before she was captured in Amur, but she could go forward and become someone new, maybe even someone better.

Gentle tapping vibrated on the wooden door across the room. _“Aqua?”_

The noises were mild but they still caused Aqua to jump out of her skin as if a Dark Knight had busted the door open. The water in the tub sloshed and splashed over the tub's sides as a result.

 _Calm down, Aqua... It’s just Namin_ _é_ _._

"Yes?" she replied shakily, scraping the crusted blood off her body with a washcloth.

"Riku, Xion, and I are going into town to start gathering supplies. Ven is going to stay in the room with you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah that's fine as long as someone stays," Aqua answered coldly, her mind faraway and turbulent.

"Okay. We will be back soon," Naminé responded and Aqua heard the trio quietly making their way out of room.

Aqua crossed her arms over her bare chest and held her shoulders until the water turned cold. In a daze, she sat in the chilly, rose-colored water until her mind could churn no more.

When she finally reached the point of resolve, she emerged from the pale red water. She limped to the small cabinet in the tiny bathroom and pulled out a white towel. She toweled off her body before wrapping the towel around her frame.

"Aqua?" Ven knocked on the door. "Are you okay? You’ve been in there a while…"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just finishing up," Aqua said.

She was so tired of them asking her if she was okay. It was a loaded question because they already knew she was far from okay but she couldn't actually say that.

"You can come in," she added as she walked to the sink and used another towel to absorb some of the moisture that clung to her azure locks.

Ventus walked in and immediately blushed when he saw Aqua only wearing a snowy towel.

"I'm not putting those clothes back on. My sash and stockings are torn to bits and they smell like rotten blood," she explained when she noticed Ven's face flushing.

To her, being in a towel around a man wasn't a big deal anymore. She had done so countless times in front of a man she hated so being in one around Ven paled in comparison. Her former modesty was one of the many things she would have to recover but she wasn't going to worry about it now.

Quietly, the blonde Keyblade wielder nodded and clumsily leaned in the doorway. He had so much to say that he couldn't even say it so he just watched her towel dry her hair. As he studied her, he noticed the marks on her wrists. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him or that it was the lighting but he soon realized they were frightful scars that mimicked bracelets.

"Aqua…your wrists…."

Ventus walked to her and took her wrists in his hands, examining the damage that had been done to her many months ago.

Instinctively, Aqua flinched when his hands fell upon her. She was like a wild, untamed animal; she was easily frightened and jumpy.

"Its nothing." Aqua subtly tried to take her wrists away from him.

"I’ve seen nothing before but those are definitely something," Ven insisted as he attempted to hold onto her.

Aqua was ignoring her physical scars just as she was ignoring her emotional ones. Instead of acknowledging them she covered them. She hid them from herself and others, hoping that maybe they would eventually go away.

"It's not that serious really," Aqua insisted with an almost shrug.

"Aqua, you're seriously telling me that those aren't a big deal?" Ven’s voice was rising a bit. He was growing frustrated with her.

"Yes," she answered innocently with a nervous chuckle.

"Aqua, please. I’m trying to help you and be here for you but I can't help unless you talk to me.”

"Ven, I really don't want to talk about this. I just got out and I can't go back there. I can't even think about it," Aqua tried to pull her wrists out of his tender grip, her icy deposition firm and unwavering.

Aqua didn't see the point in talking about it. No one would understand anyway. No one could ever understand. She could talk about it all day but it wouldn't make sense to anyone else.

"Did… Did Terra do this to you?" Ventus reluctantly asked, attempting to coax some form of emotion or answer out of her.

She was shutting him out, the world out, everyone out and he would do anything to make her stop. He knew that shutting people out was how she was able to keep her sanity within those horrid walls but she didn't have to shut people out anymore. She was with those that cared about her now.

"What difference does it make?" she said defensively and he could tell asking about Terra had struck a nerve.

"He did. Aqua, why did you want him to come with us if he is the one who did this to you?"

Aqua’s eyes narrowed and she aggressively snatched her hands away from him.

The blonde Keyblade wielder just wanted to understand. If she wanted Terra to join them, there had to be a good reason that she wanted him to. He just wanted her to explain it to him so that he could comprehend and support her. He wanted her to talk to him like she used to. She used to tell him everything.

"Look, he isn't here, okay? He didn't come with me! It doesn't matter anymore." Aqua backed away from him, her eyes dim and detached.

"I'm just trying to—"

"Ventus, please. I am  _so_  happy to see you and I am so glad you are here. I am forever grateful that you helped me-" her voice broke and her lips trembled, "-but I really can't do this…" She rushed into the bedroom and collapsed face first onto the bed.

Aqua silently cried but tears didn’t fall from her eyes. The dry sobs only broke from her lips as she desperately held the bed's pillow to her face. Her back trembled and her body quaked. Suddenly, she was having vivid flashbacks. She would blink and the white pillow would turn black. Ventus would turn into Terra and the creamy walls would turn into walls of blackened metal. Her body began to sweat and her heart began to race as if she were being used for target practice, receiving shots of magic suppressant, or being chased through Hollow Bastion…

"I'm sorry," Ventus rubbed Aqua's shaking, perspiring shoulders with one hand in an attempt to comfort her. "You can talk about it when you’re ready to. Just know that we’ll be here for you when you do.”

Aqua turned onto her side and grabbed Ven's hand. She held his warm hand and she stared at the moss-covered wall blankly, squeezing it occasionally as emotional numbness began to savagely devour her.

They sat like that until the others returned. Eventually, Naminé, Xion, and Riku entered the room noiselessly and joined the wordless conversation.

Aqua didn't want to be this person. She’d been physically and emotionally abused for almost a year but she wanted to stay gentle, bright, and kind. She still wanted to be herself. Aqua didn't want to be known as the girl who escaped but became a bitter and horrible person…

"I-I can't use white magic," she confessed. Aqua figured that was as good a place to start as any.

The whispers ceased and everyone looked at her.

"I was put on magic suppressant. I was able to fend it off and slowly regain my black magic but my white magic is ineffective. I can cast it but it doesn’t heal anything. There is no life to it," the blue maiden continued, using Ven's hand as a pillow.

"That is why you didn't heal yourself the other day," Xion said as the realization dawned on her.

Aqua nodded.

"We’ll work on it together," Naminé sat on the foot of the bed next to Ventus and offered a small smile. "I’m sure once the suppressant wears off, you can regain your white magic abilities. I’ll help you.”

"It's weird. I was the one who helped teach you Cure when we were younger…now you’re having to help me…” Aqua almost chuckled.

"Want to work on it now? It wouldn't hurt to try. You need to be able to heal injuries," Naminé said meekly. It was like she was afraid of how Aqua would react.

Aqua was reluctant. She didn't want them to see how bad it was but Namine was right. Every moment they were at risk and if they got into trouble (and they probably would) she needed to be able to heal herself. She could have bled to death in the woods if Ven and Xion hadn't shown up.

With a timid nod, Aqua sat upright on the bed and faced Naminé. "Let's do it.”

It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She still had a lot to tell them and she still had a lot to work on but she had taken the first step.

* * *

Numbing liquid wriggled down Terra's bulging throat. He took large gulps of the spirits and waited for the intoxicating drink to deaden him and his duplicitous mind. The Dark Knight wandered the bloodied halls like a phantom and searched for a room that she did not haunt; a room that hadn’t been corrupted by her laughter, a room she hadn’t scolded him in, a room that hadn’t been illuminated by her radiance, a room where he had not seen her smile.

She had corrupted the whole damn palace. His home was now a cursed prison that no longer offered him solace. He loathed the walls and the memories that drew breath within them.

For the past few days, Terra had continually begged the Overlords to deploy him, to send him to a faraway prison or to assign him to a mission that would take months to complete. He didn't care where he was sent as long as he was away from the Light forsaken palace.

Regretfully, he hadn’t been deployed yet.

It was late but Terra had no intention of going to bed or even sleeping. He didn’t want to dream or lie in the bed that still smelled of jasmine and lavender. He would burn the sheets if he ever gained the courage to reenter the contaminated room.

Unthinking, the knight had roamed into the forgotten corridors and foreign foyers that he had not frequented since he was a child.

He passed the nursery that had been abandoned for the night. The future prospects and protégée no longer linger within the room. But eventually, they would end up like him. They would become Dark Knights or Seer Sages, desensitized puppets of the Dark Rule.

Terra scoffed bitterly at the thought and entered the vacant room full of discarded storybooks and toys. Kicking the playthings aside, he made his way to the old rocking chair across the room by the massive mahogany bookshelf. He slouched within it, causing the chair to creak in anguish when he placed his overwhelming weight upon it.

This shadowy, moon-kissed room was safe. It didn’t contain memories of her. Sitting within the unlit room did not agitate past events that were better left forgotten.

 _Perfect,_ he mused with a drunken sneer upon his face.

He supposed hadn’t graced this room with his presence since he was seven or eight. At the age of seven, he had been ripped from the nurturing stage of his life and hurled into full-blown Dark Knight training where he went through the brutalization process. His head had been shaved and he’d been dressed like all the others as his existing morals and values were chopped into unidentifiable chunks…

" _Light-damn it, Terra! Just kill the damn kid!" Xigbar shot yet another vibrant, lavender arrow through Terra's calf._

_Terra wailed and wanted to fall to his knees but he couldn’t for if he fell to his knees, the next arrow would go into his thigh, foot, or back. The shot to his calf was merely a warning, real punishment would be much worse._

" _And stop crying like a fucking baby! You’re twelve years old! Suck it up!" the one-eyed Elder cocked his Arrowgun again._

_The boy with a shaved head and sincere royal blue eyes took calming breaths and tried to ignore the pain in his calf. He couldn’t think about it. He couldn't acknowledge the blood or the feel of his flesh bowing over and hanging off the muscle underneath._

_Terra ignored his injury and cast his indigo gaze back to the child in front of him._

_He was about his age and chained to a crimson column within the training field, awaiting the death Terra was supposed to deliver._

_The blood in Terra's veins went cold. Before being chained to the column, the boy across the field from him had been bludgeoned until one of his eyes was almost swelled shut. His lips bled and his body was bruised and broken. The chains cut off his circulation and Terra was pretty sure some of his limbs had been broken when he’d been chained to the column._

_His victim was silent but his eyes shone with fear. Terra could smell it underneath the odor of blood and burned flesh._

_Screams echoed constantly nearby, fogging his concentration further. The other Dark Knight prospects were killing their helpless targets but Terra was still unable to do so. His conscience tormented him and he’d intentionally miss each time. He had never killed another person before. He just couldn’t do it and each time he missed, he was punished. His already inhumanly muscular back was smothered in lesions, bumps, and whelps where he had been disciplined for his mercy._

_With a heavy sigh, he took aim yet again. He pointed two fingers at the boy across the field from him and Dark Fire formed on his fingertips._

_Aim was not a problem. Terra was an excellent shot. He was skilled in accuracy and he had always performed well in practice but this was not a matter of skill. This was a new form of training, one that he was conflicted about. Physically, Terra was more than capable of killing the boy chained to the column…_

_The protégé tilted his head and inspected the boy for the thousandth time._

_He was a Child of Light. He was scrawny. He had shaggy, brown hair and sea green eyes. His parents were probably dead and he was probably obtained during a Purge. Were he not here awaiting the acidic clutch of death on this practice field, he would probably be in a Dark Realm prison._

_Tanned fingers pointed to the boy's head. If he had to do this, he wanted it to be quick. He didn’t want the boy to experience any unnecessary suffering. Again the boy closed his eyes and waited for the irrefutable blow to land and end the persisting torment._

_Dark Fire heated and swelled on Terra's fingertips. The blast would be compact and precise._

_Terra watched the boy flinch and scrunch his face in anticipation._

_At the last moment, Terra once again moved his fingers away from the boy's head. The blast seared his skin but didn’t harm him._

" _For fuck's sake," Xigbar hissed and heatedly ran towards Terra._

_Admirably, Terra stood upright and waited for the penalizing he would surely receive for his intentional failure._

_Hearing Xigbar’s reprimand, his fellow trainee's stopped their exercises and watched. This was a lesson for them as well. They would be forced to watch Terra's retribution so they would learn what becomes of those who practiced insubordination._

_Stoically, the potential knight stood. He wasn’t afraid. He didn’t fear Xigbar nor did he fear punishment._

_Instead of being assaulted, Terra's arm was taken in Xigbar's hands. The Edler lifted Terra's arm and meticulously pointed his fingers to the Child of Light's head._

" _Do it," Xigbar growled and they both knew he had no choice now. This was it. Xigbar would not let him miss._

" _Conjure!" Xigbar snapped and roughly hit Terra upside the head._

_Terra grimaced but didn’t react to the blow or Xigbar's fierce tone._

_Xigbar was usually playful, apathetic, foolhardy, and rash but not when he was angry; and at that moment, Xigbar was angry._

" _Do it, kiddo. If you want to be a Dark Knight, you have to learn to kill. It’s part of the job.”_

_Again, Dark Fire swelled upon Terra's fingertips. Bit by bit the spell reached its pinnacle._

_When Terra felt the blast launch from his fingers, he winced. The discharge was precise, sharp, and deadly. He could tell by the way the energy in the magic left his body…_

_Reluctantly, Terra opened his eyes to see_ _a singed hole was in the center of the boy's forehead. His eyes were blank with death and his mouth fell into a lifeless line. Blood and bits of cerebral matter sickeningly oozed from the charred hole that the arcane magic had created. Gradually, the Child of Light's head lobbed over grotesquely and blood gushed from the fatal wound Terra made and onto the pale sand of the training field._

_Terra blanched and felt like he might get sick._

**_I wonder if Blue would believe me if I told her that I used to have a conscience. Probably not…_ **

" _Don't worry." Xaldin placed a sturdy hand upon Terra's bare shoulder. "The first is always the most difficult. It will come easier now."_

**_Ha! The old windbag was right! It was a lot easier after that._ **

_"Replace the dead one with a live one and do it again. This time I expect you to do it without Xigbar holding your aim." Xaldin seized the back of Terra's neck and shoved him towards the confinement at the end of the field that held the still living Children of Light that were to be used as practice dummies._

_Silently and obediently, Terra did as he was told._

_Eventually, the young, potential knight finished his grueling, exceptionally gory training and stormed back to Tarnen Palace._

_The day of mass murder and senseless genocide had changed him. The boy who left the training field was not the one who entered it that morning._

_A woman in billowing regal purple and silver robes approached him as she exited the palace with a small and silent Zexion latched to her hip. Her hair was pitch-black but contained many stains of pure white. Her violet eyes were faded but she still managed to see._

**_Mona…_ **

" _You are covered in blood..." she said, concern and worry emerging in her words._

_She reached for the bloody young man only to have him brush past her and jerk away from her touch._

" _It's not mine," he answered curtly and truthfully._

Terra rocked back and forth in the rocking chair, his mind in a drunken haze. He suddenly remembered that was the last time he’d seen Mona. It was probably for the best. He doubted the woman who had helped raise him and had provided him a temporary mother figure would want to see him transform into a monster. Terra was kind of ashamed of himself for forgetting so much about her. Then again he didn't have much of a choice, the brutalization process and the Darkness injections could have that effect on people. Plus, Terra was quite sure the Overlords intended for them to forget as much about her as possible.

The knight could clearly remember that look she gave him now though. He knew what it meant. She knew that he had changed. Mona knew that he was no longer the child she had nurtured. He was a killing machine and she would no longer be able to reach him or care for him as she had in this very room…

_Mona sat in the rocking chair within the nursery, her unnaturally long black hair cascading all the way to her hips. Her jet-black hair was not yet white and only one streak of white framed her angelic face. Luminous, violet eyes shone behind the ebony locks and her creamy skin shone as she turned the pages of the storybook she read to the children in the small chamber._

_A swirling skirt of deep crimson covered her long legs while a simple black shirt with no sleeves covered her torso. It revealed a bit of her pierced navel but modestly covered her chest. A long unusual necklace hung from her slender neck. A rounded charm of red and ebony hung from the jewelry's silver chain. The seeress was young and undoubtedly beautiful but it was not the Dark Realm beauty he was accustomed to._

_A tiny Larxene sat in Mona's lap and eagerly examined the book's contents with her as she read aloud. Axel was sprayed across the floor, lazily tossing Frisbees to Sa_ _ï_ _x while Vanitas decapitated Larxene's dolls nearby. Lastly, Terra sat in the floor by the rocking chair Mona and Larxene sat in, wrapping bands around his wooden Keyblade, carefully inspecting it and ensuring the toy was indeed ready for battle._

" _And they all lived happily ever after," Mona called, announcing the conclusion of the story._

" _Bullshit," a youthful Vanitas snapped and shot Dark Fire across the room and onto the book's innocent pages._

_Mona slammed the book shut, immediately extinguishing the blackened flames._

_The woman wasn’t afraid of the blast. She was used to the children using advanced magic at an extremely young age. She was also used to their sometimes-temperamental nature and unnatural behavior._

" _Vanitas! How many times have I told you not to say curse words!" the seeress scolded and checked the state of the book._

" _The Overlords don't mind when I say them. You’re the only one that cares." Vanitas pouted and crossed his arms._

" _Well, as long as I’m around and you’re left in my care, you’re not allowed to curse," Mona chastised._

_Vanitas popped an arm off of one of Larxene's dolls before chucking the ruined plaything to the floor in frustration._

" _Vanitas!" the elfin Larxene practically sobbed as she inspected the books now singed pages. "That was my favorite book! You even burned the part where she eats the poison apple! That was my favorite part!"_

" _I will get you another one." Mona tenderly placed Larxene on the floor and waltzed to the bookshelf._

" _Can we read one more before bed?" the blonde girl pleaded and followed Mona around the room, tugging at her ruby skirt as she begged._

" _Hmm, one more but it has to be short." The Seer Sage put the ruined book in its rightful place upon the shelf._

" _Can we read Little Red Riding Hood?" Vanitas asked and snatched Terra's Keyblade away from him._ " _You don't have to read the whole thing. Just skip to the part where the guy cuts the grandmother out of the wolf's belly"_

_Terra instantly began chasing Vanitas around the room, trying to retrieve his stolen Keyblade._

_Vanitas was thoroughly enjoying the forced game of tag but Terra was far from amused._

" _You only like that story because the wolf gets cut up," Terra argued gruffly when he managed to seize the hilt of his toy._

" _So?" Vanitas challenged with an impish smirk, still stubbornly holding onto the apex of Terra's wooden weapon._

_The boys grappled over the object until Mona placed a hand upon Vanitas's head and yanked the toy from his grasp. Once she had the Keyblade, she returned it to its proper owner._

" _No fair!" Vanitas whined. "Terra won't share!"_

" _Tattletale," Terra hissed, narrowing his eyes at the little boy with golden-eyes._

" _Now that isn't true. I’m sure Terra would be happy to share if you actually asked him instead of just taking his toy from him," Mona argued and smiled down at Terra._

" _Nu-uh! You’re just saying that because Terra is your favorite. You never yell at Terra." Vanitas kicked at the lush, scarlet carpet._

_Mona knelt down in front of Vanitas and tilted his chin toward her._

" _Stop it. I would 'yell' at Terra if he deserved it but he has done nothing wrong. Besides, I wouldn't yell at you if I didn't care," she teased and tossed Vanitas's hair only to have him swat her hand away._

_Mona sighed dejectedly at the display and rose to her feet._

" _Would it make you feel better if I read Little Red Riding Hood for you?" the seeress tried to compromise, placing her hands on her hips and searching for the book._

" _It might," Vanitas huffed._

_Terra rolled his deep blue eyes._

_Before Mona could answer, the door opened and Luxord casually entered the room._

_Mona beamed brilliantly at him until she saw Xehanort slithering in behind him. Her smile quickly fell and her momentary happiness faded._

**_That look… That is the same exact look Blue used to give me…_ **

" _How are our protégé today?" the bald sovereign asked, cheerfully and critically inspecting each his future tools, his orange, carnivorous eyes observing them as if they were something to ingest._

_Mona frowned, held her dainty hands in front of her, and humbly bowed to the Overlord._

_Genuinely intrigued, Terra watched as Luxord's body language changed as he noticed Mona's discontentment. He looked sad to see her unhappy._

**_I didn't get it then…but I get it now…_ **

" _They are fine," Mona answered gently._

" _I would like to see Larxene's progress if you don't mind," Lord Xehanort all but commanded._

 _The seer's purplish-blue eyes glanced up at the Overlord and she reluctantly nodded._ " _Larxene?"_

_Her successor willingly ran to her, her golden strands of hair flying wildly around her cherub face as she ran._

" _Will you show Lord Xehanort one of your pictures?" Mona asked politely and tenderly ushered the girl toward the monarch._

_Larxene nodded energetically and reached for the Overlords hand. The child was not afraid of the Overlord; she even looked at him with admiration and love._

_Xehanort gave his hand to Larxene. Her jade eyes closed and the child began to project._

**_That's right. She didn't use to hurt. It didn't hurt until she got older..._ **

" _Remarkable!" Xehanort exclaimed and clapped for the child._

_The golden-haired youth smiled arrogantly and flawlessly curtsied for her master._

_Mona's eyes fell and her posture drooped. She looked as if she were in physical pain, as if watching her successor submit to the Dark Overlord was absolute agony._

_Luxord placed a hands upon her shoulders to comfort her, lightly massaging the tissue as if could somehow ease her pain._

" _The visions are not that long and they are not that vivid. I want you to work on that. I can see what she has seen but it is choppy and blurry," Xehanort remarked coldly and looked at Mona sternly._

" _She is just seven years old," the black-haired woman disputed softly, still holding her submissive posture._

" _Fix it," the Overlord spat and shot daggers at the Seer Sage._

" _But she might die! That kind of strain on a still developing body could kill her!"_

" _Good! I wouldn't want a weakling to serve me! If it kills her, then she is not worthy of becoming one of my Seer Sages!" The Overlord shouted and Mona flinched._

" _Yes, my lord." Mona held her head down in shame, her black hair curtaining around her petite frame._

" _Vanitas, give it back!" Terra growled and again tried to haul his Keyblade from his brother's destructive grip._

" _Make me!" Vanitas taunted, looking for a fight._

" _Boys! Stop! Can't you see we have company? Please, show some respect," Mona chastised tenderly and moved to separate them only to have Luxord pull her back by her shoulders._

_The blonde Elder forced her to keep her position next to him. "Let the boys fight."_

" _But—" Mona jerked and started to argue._

" _It is good for them, Mona. In fact…" Xehanort approached the bickering boys._

_When the two boys noticed the monarch advancing toward them, they froze, dropped the Keyblade, and clumsily bowed to their future master._

_The Overlord knelt and picked up the Keyblade._ " _You two want to fight over this toy? Then fight for it. The winner will receive the Keyblade.”_

" _Sire, the Keyblade is Terra's. He made it himself," Mona explained, trying to maintain fairness and some form of stability._

" _Then that should be motivation for him to fight for it," Lord Xehanort responded dismissively without looking at his successful rehabilitation subject._

_The boys fought and fought and fought until Xehanort demanded them to stop and ultimately, declared Terra the winner._

_Both were bruised, bloody, and exhausted. Terra's nose was bleeding and broken but he had fought to retrieve what was rightfully his._

" _Congratulations." Lord Xehanort handed the toy back to the bleeding child with chocolate locks._

_Terra bowed and firmly held his prize in his hands._

" _You will make a fine Dark Knight," the Overlord added with a sneer before he lurched out of the room._

" _Leave," Mona hissed once she had to courage to remove Luxord’s hands from her shoulders, finally reopening her eyes for she could not bear to watch the children fight. She couldn't watch Xehanort plant seeds of anger and destruction within the pure vessels._

" _Don't be silly, Mona," Luxord chided and tried to embrace her._

" _I mean it. Leave. You’ve done enough damage." She shook her head feverishly and backed away from him._

_Luxord scoffed at her before reluctantly exiting._

" _Okay. That’s enough excitement for today. Bed!" the seeress commanded and put on her best faux smile. Terra noticed it didn’t reach her eyes._

 _One by one they entered the large dormitory where all the children slept. As they made their way to their beds, Mona planted kisses upon them. Larxene embraced her predecessor and received her kiss on the cheek. Axel winced as he took his kiss on his forehead, quickly wiping the peck off of his violated head. Sa_ _ï_ _x stood obediently and stoically, even as a child as he took his kiss upon his unscarred forehead with dignity._

_Vanitas, however, tried to run past Mona to avoid the contact only to be reeled back by the seeress. Mona grabbed him by his waist and pulled him back in front of her._

" _I…need…to…heal…you!" she commanded as she struggled to contain the spirited boy._

_Once Vanitas was placed on the ground, Mona yanked a Potion out of her pocket and somehow, managed to get it down his throat to disperse any injuries he’d received during the unnecessary struggle for the toy Keyblade._

_When the bottle was empty, the thrashing ceased and Mona grabbed face in her hands. Despite herself, she began to chuckle as Vanitas vigorously fighting her again. Shaking his head and striking at his caretaker he tried to fend off the kiss he knew she would surely place upon him._

_Despite his best efforts, Mona still kissed his cheek and proceeded to do so repeatedly to torment the child further._

" _Bleh!" he complained and vehemently tried to wipe off the affection bestowed upon him._

_Having punished him enough for resisting, Mona released him and allowed him to go to bed._

_Mona was still chuckling a little when Terra willingly approached her. Sincere, composed, and contemplative he stood before her, waiting for his goodnight kiss._

_The Seer Sage knelt before him and brushed his dark brown hair off of his face and inspected his broken nose._

" _My brave heart…" She reached for another Potion and poured its contents onto her skirt, using it as a rag so she could hold the healing medicine to his mangled snout. "I am so sorry. I would have never let him take your Keyblade. You know that, right?"_

**_Brave Heart... Yeah, right... Why did she always call me that? Why do Children of Light always expect me to be some kind of hero in disguise?! She looked me just the way Blue did, like there's Light in me..._ **

_Terra nodded and grinned at her, too young and too oblivious to know that anything horrendous had occurred. He didn’t know any better. This was the world he was raised in. He didn’t know that children weren’t supposed to peer into the future, cast magic at a young age, and brutally fight each other for toys._

_Mona didn’t have to fight Terra in order to bestow a soft kiss on his forehead. He always welcomed it while the other boys merely tolerated it._

"I’m drunker than I thought," Terra squeezed the bridge of his nose.

The nursery was completely quiet and although it held no memories of _her_  it was obviously triggering other dormant memories inside him; memories that he had put behind him and abandoned in his merciless quest to become a Dark Knight.

Unable to take the drunken onslaught of reminiscence anymore, Terra staggered to his feet and began stumbling down the hallway, whiskey bottle firmly in hand.

The charm in his pocket burned his hip as he walked. It cried and pleaded for his attention while its shape threatened to permanently brand his skin, but the Wayfinder's whimpers and petitions were ignored on his journey to Larxene's room.

Terra didn’t knock. He simply entered the Seer Sages room without any form of invitation.

"Up." The knight yanked the jade covers off Larxene’s body.

"Terra, it’s late. Can't this wait until morning?" The seeress groused but didn’t move or open her eyes.

"No. I need to ask you something," Terra replied flatly.

Larxene yawned and stretched her arms, slowly sitting upright.

She was in a black nightgown that traveled to her dainty feet but a long slit stretched up her leg, exposing most of her legs and hip.

Normally, Terra's body would react to such a sight. He could see every curve on Larxene's voluptuous body. Her jade eyes were hooded and her milky legs purposely spread but her appearance did nothing for him. She wasn’t the woman he longed for.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly but Terra knew her sweetness was bitterness in disguise.

"Do you remember Mona?" he asked and Larxene pulled him to her by her lengthy legs.

"Of course, I do. She was my predecessor. A weak, pathetic one but a predecessor no less," Larxene hummed seductively and ran her legs long Terra's hips but he didn’t react.

"Why did she leave?" the knight asked sincerely. He was genuinely curious.

"You really are clueless. That or the Darkness injections really messed with your head." Larxene shook her head and sighed. "Mona was a Child of Light. Like bluebird, she was a rehabilitation subject but she was a successful one, but she left after she taught me all she knew. I surpassed her with ease and she eventually went blind. After that, her life was forfeit and she was completely worthless. So, she was banished and I assume she is living a gutter somewhere with all the other Light peasants now.”

"Thanks," Terra replied in a deadpan tone and carefully removed her thighs from his steel-plated hips.

Larxene sighed again. "Thanks for the visit…”

The Dark Knight exited the Seer Sage’s room and reentered the crimson hallways with blackened walls and ventured to Luxord's study.

When Terra reached the room he sought, he could see the light on in the room and watched the radiance seep under the door and spill by his feet.

Terra bombarded the door with his armored fist.

"Come in," Luxord eventually called and the knight leisurely entered the elaborate study.

"I wondered when you’d come, " the Elder said casually as he scribbled on a piece of parchment. "I've been expecting you."

The Overlords had been bitching for Terra to converse with Luxord for the past few days but the knight had continually refused. He didn't need help or sympathy nor did he want it. The only reason he came to see Luxord was because he was curious and had nothing better to do, not because he needed help coping with his  _loss._

"They used you," Terra stated matter-of-factly.

Luxord exhaled loudly and slung his pen across the mahogany desk. "Yes. They used me just as they used you."

"And you let them do the same thing to me?" Terra questioned calmly and took a seat in the chair in front of Luxord's massive, paper-covered desk.

"It would have happened either way. I am but one voice within the Court and the Overlords have more power than the Elders. You know that.”

Terra nodded, rested his elbows on his metal knees, and stared blankly at half-empty whiskey bottle in his hands.

"It is different for them," Luxord finally spoke, breaking their prolonged silence. "We are harder to love. I thought I craved her innocence."

Terra could hear the hurt in his voice. It pained him to speak of Mona. After all this time it still caused him discomfort. Would he be that way? Would Terra hold onto  _her_  for that long?

"I thought that once I stole her virtue, the cravings would stop, but they didn't. I was poisoned with her," Luxord continued solemnly and rested his laced fingers on his toned stomach.

Terra was mute, listening and silently comparing himself to his kindred spirit.

Luxord and Mona's relationship had obviously gone farther than his relationship with Blue but the result was the same. He could tell by the way Luxord spoke. Terra could relate because he too was poisoned by a Child of Light.

"Opposites attract but the relationship couldn't survive. Intersecting relationships are not unheard of but they don’t end well. They are doomed from the beginning, for we can only coexist for so long…” Luxord shifted uncomfortably in his seat and folded his arms over his chest.  "She took a part of me when she left. I doubt she loved me the way I loved her…"

The Dark Knight squirmed in his seat as well.

He didn't want to end up like Luxord. He was clearly still hung up on Mona. Luxord had married some nameless woman from the Dark Realm but Terra found it hard to believe that he loved his wife the way he loved Mona.

Was that his destiny? Would he end up like Luxord? Would he wed Larxene as the Overlords originally intended while stubbornly clinging to memories of Blue forever? It would be an empty existence but an existence no less. Luxord seemed to manage, but Terra didn't want that kind of life. He didn't want to settle, but he could never have  _her_  either…

Bitter bile rose in his throat and the pain that accompanied his sobriety slowly began to return.

As fast as he could, Terra clutched his whiskey bottle and downed what remained of the liquid.


	25. Not So Far Away

* * *

_Woke up and wished that I was dead_

_With an aching in my head_

_I lay motionless in bed_

_I thought of you and where you'd gone_

_And let the world spin madly on_

_-World Spins Madly On, The Weepies_

* * *

The sun was up. The sun was up, but she was still in bed. Warm light was pouring in through the strange circular window overhead, allowing her to truly see the room for the first time. It was full of plants and grass. It was a lot like being outside. Even the floor was rock cobblestone with grass growing between the cracks. It was like someone had made a cave into a suite but it was oddly cozy. She liked how natural it was and how it was nothing like Tarnen Palace.

Aqua was wake enough to inspect the room and ponder all of this but she was still refusing to get out of bed.

She’d decided against going with the others into the village to gather the last of their supplies before they started moving again. In hindsight, she probably should have gone with them. She needed new clothes but she was just so exhausted she wanted to try to sleep a bit more before they went back to fighting Heartless and trekking through the untamed wildness of the Dark Realm.

The Keyblade wielder was resting but she wasn't sleeping. Sleep continued to elude her and nightmares were constant. They caused her to wake at least every other hour. Aqua felt bad for Xion. There were only four beds and Xion had shared the bed with her the night before and she’d felt her every time she jolted awake. Ventus, Naminé, and Riku were a bit more fortunate; she only woke them up when she screamed…

There was advantage to not sleeping; it gave her time to think and she had decided she would finish what she started. Aqua would do what she set out to do a year ago. She was going to save her sister.

Aqua hadn't informed the others of her decision yet but she was sure they would support her. It wasn't like they had anything else to do other than run for the rest of their lives. They couldn't return to their homes, they couldn't even go to Naefre because of their fugitive status. Riku had betrayed DiZ by helping Aqua after he had been commanded not to.

Taking refuge in Naefre would be disastrous for DiZ and all of Naefre's citizens. Even if DiZ did agree to let them take refuge in there - and Aqua doubted he would - the Overlords would pounce and dissolve the fragile neutral status DiZ had worked so hard to maintain for his students and his citizens.

Aqua knew how the Overlords lusted for Naefre. They longed to occupy the town and add it to their ever-expanding territory. Even if they couldn't occupy the major city, they would burn it to the ground so it would no longer be a threat. If the Overlords couldn't have it, nobody could.

She had heard the discussions involving Naefre and DiZ. They didn’t trust him and they thought it was only a matter of time before he abused their fragile treaty and began aiding the Opposition just as most of the other neutral cities did. The Dark Overlords wanted to wipe neutral towns from existence. There would be the Dark Realm and their occupied cities. There would be no gray area where Children of Light could hide.

Aqua didn't want to bring ruination to Naefre and she knew Riku didn't want that either. It would be better if they didn't bring their plague to the city of perpetual night. Naefre was powerful and the world might need that power in the future, the Opposition might need that power in the future, and Aqua would much rather Naefre aid something of greater significance. The last major neutral power needed to help the world, the Opposition, and the Children of Light, not a bunch of trivial teenagers who had gotten into trouble because of one girl's careless actions…

"Wakey, wakey!"

Peeking over her mountains of blankets, to see Naminé entering the room followed by Xion who was silently walking behind her with a tray full of food.

"Time to get up!" the blonde added cheerfully and jumped on the bed next to Aqua's swaddled form.

The older girl offered a small smile that did not reach her eyes as she languidly sat up in bed.

"We brought you breakfast. We thought you might be hungry." Xion placed the tray of food on the bedside table.

It smelled wonderful. The tray contained bagels, eggs, sausage, and crisp toast. Jars of jellies and a glass of orange juice were meticulously placed around the plate of food.

Aqua really wished she had an appetite.

"Have you guys eaten?"

"Yeah, we ate before we went into town for the last of our supplies. Hazel made us breakfast and when we told her you were staying in bed, she made a tray for us to bring you," Naminé replied.

Now she really wished she had an appetite. Hazel had clearly gone through the trouble of making the tray for her and the diversity among the spread led her to believe that Hazel had purposely given her a wide variety of food so she could pick out what she wanted.

The assorted offering tickled at Aqua's memories and for a split second, she was reminded of a time a man in gold and bronze armor had done the same thing for her. He had brought her a tray of food with varying contents so that she would only have to eat what she wanted…

Not wanting to be rude or ungrateful, she reached for the tray and began picking at its contents. She nibbled and shifted the food around on the tray but she didn't really eat, her distressed nerves wouldn't let her.

"Do you two want to come with while I look for some new clothes?" the blue girl asked as she picked apart a piece of toast.

Aqua craved change and she also wanted to get out of the oversized, white shirt Hazel had given her to sleep in. The shirt was stiff and smelled like mothballs and moldy bread.

"Of course," Xion answered as she stood and stretched.

Aqua instantly noticed how Xion's body had changed. It suddenly occurred to her that Xion wasn't sixteen anymore just like she wasn't eighteen anymore. They had all grown a year older. Naminé and Kairi were both fifteen now and Aqua began to wonder if Kairi had matured as much as Naminé and Xion had. Had Kairi grown taller? Was her body gradually changing from that of a girl to that of a woman? Was her cherub face becoming more slender and less rounded? Were her features more angular and mature now? Aqua didn't know and she couldn't find out because her baby sister was rotting in some prison somewhere…

It should have been her. Aqua should be the one in a prison, not Kairi. She deserved it more than poor Kairi did. Aqua would gladly take the sentence for her. She would do anything for those she cared for… _anything_. Aqua would take all the pain and all the torment if it meant Kairi would be free and unharmed.

Anger brewed within her as she remembered how Xehanort had refused to take her instead. Aqua had gotten on her knees and begged the monarch to take her instead but he coarsely refused her. He refused because he had bigger plans in store for her that didn't involve her being in a prison. He wanted her to be his blasphemous Black Mage…

"Let's go," Aqua said curtly, removing the tray from her lap and rising to her feet.

Aqua scurried to the nearby dressing table and threw on the dingy jeans covered in holes Hazel had given her with the shirt. Rapidly, she slid the oversized garment up her legs and rolled the waistband down so they would not fall off her slender form. Once she got the pants to almost fit, she wandered out of the room with Naminé and Xion on her heels.

The three girls inspected the tiny shops as Aqua struggled to keep the oversized clothes on her body. She couldn't find a whole outfit in one shop because of the lack of quality and variety in the tiny village but she searched diligently until she created a hodgepodge of attire that would form an outfit she felt might match her new personality.

Xion and Naminé kept watch while Aqua changed behind one of the shops since none of the stores had dressing rooms that would allow her to change. Again, Aqua was reminded how spoiled she had become but she was slowly regaining her old habits and tendencies.

"I like it!" Naminé cried when Aqua emerged out of the alleyway, adjusting her outfit as she moved.

Aqua still wore a navy blue, high-collared halter-top that extended to her throat and clung firmly to her torso. The only difference between this shirt and her old one was that this halter-top had a strip of black that glided up the middle of the garment. She also kept her black shorts and managed to find new stockings to match them.

The biggest difference in her attire was the lavender-colored skirt she wore to replace her sash. She wore it over her shorts and the crimped, billowing fabric fell just above her knees and had a high split over her right hip that allowed her legs, shorts, and stockings to be seen. Her sash had spoiled her and she felt naked without anything on her left hip.

The thin skirt was barely held together by a tiny piece of fabric at the top of the split while two pink intersecting belts wrapped over her hips and helped hold the split skirt in place. Her dainty feet were now adorned in pointed, silver, armored boots. Finally, to hide her scars, she wore lavender-colored, fingerless gloves on her hands that were covered by small pieces of thin, silver protective covering on each of her wrists.

"We should head back before Ven and Riku start freaking out. Plus we will have to get moving soon," Aqua announced, still adjusting her attire.

The other girls agreed and followed her lead.

They walked through the tiny, practically deserted village back to the Inn, having hushed conversations about nothing until they reached the small lodge. Once there, the yelling and shouting of a gruff and burly voice could be heard from outside.

_"What'd ya mean the person that escaped from Hollow Bastion is a girl?!"_

Aqua timidly entered the Inn with Xion at her side and Naminé meekly peaking around her shoulder.

Once fully inside, they could see Riku, Ventus, and Hazel standing before a rugged man with blond hair, steel blue eyes, and a smoldering cigarette in his clenched mouth. Aviator goggles rested atop his blonde head, but he wore a turquoise t-shirt, green pants, blackened leather boots, and matching leather gloves. A bulky leather jacked was tied around his waist and dog tags hung from his husky throat. The man also casually held a massive spear that was almost as tall as him was in his leathery grip.

"Um…" Aqua said softly to try to get everyone's attention.

"That is her, Cid," Hazel whispered softly and inclined her head in Aqua's direction.

"Ha!" he guffawed as he inspected her. "She looks more like a fuckin' nymph than someone who could've outsmarted the Overlords!"

Aqua crossed her arms over her chest and resisted the desire to huff at the gruff aviator. She resented his statement.

"Aqua, this is Cid. He is an Opposition member and he wanted to meet the person that escaped from the Dark Capital…" the plump innkeeper explained.

"Yeah, but Light-damn I didn't expect a little, blue-haired pixie to be the first person to ever bust outta that place. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers." Cid shrugged before swirling his cigarette with his tongue.

"I don't understand what's happening," Aqua confessed, her eyes darting back and forth between all the people in the foyer.

"Cid has come to recruit you for the Opposition," Ven clarified delicately.

Baby blue eyes almost popped out of her head. "What?"

"That's right." Cid tapped the gathering ash off his cigarette and flashed a crooked smile. "Limited time offer, princess."

"Um. Thanks? But I don't think-"

"Look," the pilot interrupted her. "I’m seriously riskin' my hide by coming out here just to try to recruit you so you can _at least_ consider it. We could really use someone who has been on the inside. That kind of insight could really be a game changer for us."

"You overestimate me," Aqua said dejectedly. "I lived there but none of them really trusted me…"

"You were a rehabilitation subject. Right?" Cid plopped his cigarette back into his mouth.

"Yes…”

"Then they tried to turn ya into one of them. You know shit 'bout ‘em that we would never be able to get our hands on. Not to mention you're the first person to escape Hollow Bastion since the Dark Rule was established," the man with rugged blonde locks rasped.

Aqua's eyes fell uncomfortably to the floor. Cid was making some good points but she didn't really want to join the Opposition. This was so sudden and out of the blue. She had just gotten out of Hollow Bastion and she wasn't ready to jump back into something as aggressive as this. She doubted she had the nerve or the courage to fight alongside the Opposition. Maybe she did a year ago but not right now… She didn't know much about the Opposition but she did know they were a violent and open resistance to the Dark Rule, and she wasn't sure if she was ready or even capable of joining that kind of fray.

"What've ya go to lose?" Cid asked and he almost sounded sincere. "What're you gonna do? Where'er you gonna go? You and your friends are just as wanted as we are."

"I-I don't know but I don't know much about the Opposition either," Aqua quickly countered.

"You ain't gonna know anythin' 'bout it unless you agree to join. There’s a reason people don't know anythin' 'bout us and we plan on keepin' it that way so I can't just start yappin' unless you agree to join up."

Cid was gruff and kind of rude, but somehow, Aqua knew he wasn't trying to be mean. He was just doing his job and she would respect that.

"Look. I appreciate the offer, really, I do, but I don't think I can make that kind of decision right now. I have to think about my friends and I honestly don't feel capable of devoting myself to such a cause just yet…"

Truthfully, the Opposition frightened her a bit. It was something Master Eraqus had always taught them to avoid. They were supposedly a group of outcasts and ruffians and seeing Cid only confirmed the stereotype for her. The Opposition had a reputation for being unorganized, aggressive, and mysterious.

Terra had told her of their uprisings. He’d compared them to rabid wolves. Their members were wild and overzealous. Supposedly, they did things by any means necessary, risking the lives of the innocent just as the Dark Rule did and if that was the case, Aqua didn't see how one extreme was any better than the other. She would not ally herself or her friends with those that didn't have consideration for those caught in the crossfire; those that they were supposedly representing and defending.

"She just regained her freedom, Cid. Give the poor dear time to think it over," Hazel stated softly.

"We ain't got time for her to think it over. You know that. Time ain't on our side. It’s on theirs," Cid challenged bitterly and stabbed his spear into the floor.

Aqua brought her closed hand to her mouth and nervously chewed on her index finger. She was torn. She really was. She was put in a horrible position and she wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Beseechingly, she gazed at Riku and Ven as if to ask them to help her but they only looked at her like this was her decision to make and that they would not interfere.

_I wish Master Eraqus were here… He would know what to do…_

"We can offer you protection that you ain't gonna receive out there on your own. I’m sure you heard the Overlords and their pesky knights in black armor bitch and moan about how hard we are to track down. And I’m sure you know that they can come after you at any moment. We’re all being tracked and it’s just a matter of time before they catch up to ya. That’s why I’m here. The boss wanted me to try to recruit ya before they got their grimy hands on ya again," Cid said a bit more calmly.

Cid said that like he knew something she didn't. Aqua instantly began to wonder if the Opposition had seers like the Dark Rule did. That would explain how they were able to dodge them for so long. If the Opposition had seers, they could inhibit and curb the Seer Sages visions with their own visions. They would be able to predict the future as well and they could resist the Dark Rule in a way that would be impossible for most. If they had seers, they too could tamper with time and fate. They would be able to see what the Seer Sages see and that would make it easier for them to plan and dodge the Overlords counter strikes before they ever occurred. They could fight fire with fire.

"I want to talk to Zack," Aqua almost commanded and locked eyes with Cid.

"No can do. He’s out on assignment. Now I ain't got all day for you to make your decision. You're either with us or you're not. What's it gonna be?" He tapped his foot impatiently and for a minute, Aqua thought he might be nervous or maybe even anxious. The man had come out of hiding to talk to her so she supposed she couldn't blame him for being a bit on edge and irritated. She was a gamble.

Joining the Opposition had its perks and Aqua knew Zack wouldn't join them unless he thought it was worthwhile and for the greater good but joining meant disappearing. If she joined, the others would join with her and Naminé and Xion were so young, too young to no longer exist. They would be forced underground with the rest of the Opposition and would be thrown into even more perilous situations. They wouldn't be dodging the Dark Rule; they would be openly fighting it. It was called a resistance group for a reason.

More importantly, if Aqua agreed to join them, she wouldn't be able to save Kairi. She was sure they wouldn't allow her to do anything like that. It would be too risky for their little group. They didn't operate like that…

"I'm sorry, I just can't right now. I’ll gladly help you in any way I can… I just can't join right now. I have some things I have to take care of first and I can't do them if I’m with the Opposition.”

The Opposition had a lot to offer and she came _really_  close to collaborating with them, but she had to help Kairi first.

Cid gave a disgruntled sigh. "There may not be another chance to join. This may be your last chance."

"I'm sorry," she repeated coolly.

"Suit yourself," the pilot grumbled before leaving the Inn where he vanished just as quickly as he had emerged.

Exhaling softly though her mouth, Aqua ran hands through her hair. She really hoped she made the right choice…

"Why did you say no?" Ventus inquired once Cid was gone.

"Kairi…" Aqua replied in a low tone.

Tension filled the room at the mention of the missing girl.

"I’ve decided that I’m going to finish what I started and I can't do that if I’m attached to the Opposition," she continued.

"This whole mess is all my fault. I know that but I can't change it now. What's done is done and I’m not going to dwell on my mistakes. I’m sorry I roped all of you into this… That was never my intention. That was why I left without telling you… I wanted to spare all of you from ending up in this kind of situation but obviously, I couldn't do that." Aqua shook her head in disappointment.

"I regret a lot of things but I will never regret making the decision to try to save my sister. I wouldn't do anything differently. I would do it all again if it meant I could save her. I have seen their cruelty. I’ve been a victim of it and I’ve watched others suffer at their hands until I felt ill and I am not going to stand by and let them torture Kairi anymore when I’m alive and capable of helping her.” Her voice shook and threatened to break but she did not waver, she remained poised and determined despite the fragility of her emotional state.

Xion held her head down. Naminé chewed her bottom lip. Riku stood emotionlessly with his arms crossed next to a very quiet, unreadable Ventus. They had all lost so much, their Master, their father, their sister, and their friends. They had even lost simple, intangible things like hope, faith, and comfort just like so many others.

"I wish for impossible things, I know that," Aqua persisted when they held their sturdy silence. "When I left, I left for Kairi but I also left for myself. I was so sick of the oppression and the misery and the helplessness. I was so tired of feeling like I had no say and that I couldn't make a difference. I left to fight for something… _anything._ I left hoping that I could somehow make a difference…that maybe I could change the way things are and that maybe, despite everything, I could somehow go against the Dark Rule and save my sister."

"I left for my people… my parents…my sister…my family…my friends…and a brighter future. I just wanted to make a difference. I wanted to push back and show them that I was sick of falling in line like they wanted me to and that I was going to fight no matter what the odds." Aqua's hands clenched tightly at her sides.

"And now that they’ve tried to rehabilitate me it only makes me want to fight harder. It only drives me to push back even more and prove to them that they were wrong. They thought they could break me, they tried to use me but in the end, they couldn't. Now that I know them, I am only motivated to keep fighting and to show them that I am  _not_ going to fall in line and that I will  _never_  do what they want me to. I am going to make them see that they can't control me. They can't win. I won't let them. They want to watch me? Let them. They can watch me take back my sister," Her blue eyes burned with resolve and determination.

"They can watch all of us break her out," Ven added optimistically with a mischievous smirk.

Naminé nodded and Xion gave Aqua a reassuring smile but Riku looked deep in thought.

Seeing his contemplation, Aqua walked to him and took his hands in hers.

"I know this isn't the same for you because of where you grew up and your heritage but I know that you and DiZ have suffered at their hands too. You wouldn't have come with me if you didn't believe that there was something better. You wouldn't have risked it if you didn't have faith in a brighter future where their shadow doesn't loom over us." Aqua squeezed his gloved hands, his eyes mating with hers.

"I think our new plan should be the old plan." Riku grinned smugly and Aqua automatically embraced him.

It meant a lot to her to have his support. Riku was proof that not all Servants of Darkness were horrible and not all of them were necessarily for the Dark Rule. In a bizarre way, Riku gave her hope. If Riku could stand up for what he thought was right, maybe the others could too… Maybe the Dark Realm wasn't as corrupt or as far-gone as she thought. Maybe there were still some people who wanted a world without Purges, overflowing prisons, and an indisputable, overpowered monarchy.

"What was the old plan?" Naminé asked,a puzzled look on her angelic face.

"We originally planned on going to Doma. Doma is a neutral city full of ex-knights and even retired Dark Knights. If anyone is going to know anything about Dark Realm prisons, it is going to be someone who used to work in them. If we are lucky, we can find someone like Mona who will be willing to help us," Riku explained.

Aqua rolled her eyes at the mention of the former Seer Sage.

"Aqua, I really wish you would reconsider going to see Mona." Ven sighed.

"I already told all of you that I have no interest in going to see the hag that trained the current Seer Sages," Aqua firmly refused, folding her arms over her chest.

"She was really nice once she got use to us," Xion said softly. "I wasn't trilled about going to see an ex Seer Sage either, but if it wasn't for her, you probably wouldn't be here with us right now."

Aqua’s expression softened and her radiant eyes wandered to the floor.

"I think it would be good for you, Aqua," Naminé chimed in, "She was a rehabilitation subject too. Maybe she can help you cope a bit…"

Before Aqua had the chance to bristle and snap that she didn't need help coping, Riku spoke up.

"If we are going to stand a chance of getting to Kairi without the current Seer Sages catching onto us, I think we are going to need her aid. She was their predecessor and she might be able to help give us some tips on how to outsmart them. She probably knows their powers better than anyone, which means she probably knows their weaknesses.”

Aqua hated when they ganged up on her like this and she really hated it when Riku went all calculated and technical. He had a talent for making excellent points. He even played the Kairi card!

_Jerk…_

"How far is Doma from ZoZo?" Aqua asked dubiously so they wouldn't think she had succumbed to the idea yet.

"It’s relatively far away from ZoZo but it’s also far away from where we are now. However, ZoZo isn't too far from here." Riku pulled his map out of his pocket.

The Dark Keyblade Master knelt onto the Inn's mossy floor and spread out the map on the lumpy surface. Ven and Aqua knelt on the floor too and examined the map with him.

"ZoZo wouldn't be too far out of our way if we wanted to stop there on our way to Doma." Riku pointed to the spots of interest on the map.

"The detour would be worth it if it would give us Mona's insight. We won't make it to Doma at all if the Dark Rule catches up to us, and we definitely wouldn't make it to the prison where they are holding Kairi. The only way we are going to be able to do this is if we can somehow outsmart the Dark Rule and their seers," Ventus stated, looking over at Aqua.

The blue-haired girl grimaced and massaged her temples. She knew it was true but she _never_ wanted to see another Seer Sage again, especially the one who raised the monsters who had abused her on a daily basis. However, she would do it if it meant that she could save Kairi…

"I hate to rehash the past but unless we do something different this time, we’ll end up just like we did in Amur," Riku said bluntly and Aqua winced.

She needed to make up her mind and she needed to do it fast. Cid was right; time wasn't on their side; every second they drew closer and closer to being captured and killed. The Dark Rule was slowly but surely closing in on them.

"Alright. I'll go see the old harpy," Aqua reluctantly relented with an exasperated huff.

_But I won't like it._

* * *

Sobriety was a cruel mistress. And for the sake of the Purge, Terra was forced to endure her bitter and almost foreign caress. She was unforgiving, harsh and barbaric. Her tart kiss made him feel and her rancid embrace made him think. She stole the numbness he craved and replaced it with raw, emotional agony. He hated her.

Silently, he stood next to Vanitas, Demyx, and Axel while Ansem brutally interrogated what Terra assumed was an innocent family of harboring Opposition members.

A Purge was being conducted in the rotting town of Melmond and they searched for the head of a man named Zeke? Or maybe it was Zaid… Zane? Or was it Zack… It didn't matter. He didn't give a shit what his name was or wasn’t. Terra just wanted to get this over with so he would finally be deployed to the prison in Palamecia. He should be there already but they had demanded he help conduct another Purge to stop the unrest popping up around the Dark Realm before he began doing prison work, which would be a complete waste of his abilities. Regardless, the Overlords were merciful and had allowed Terra to be deployed as he’d requested.

The bronze knight was painfully bored or maybe he just didn't care anymore. He wasn't sure which. As he stood stoically within the crumbling shack of the interrogated, he began to wonder where his passion for Purges had come from before the Blue fiasco. If it had come from loyalty and a sense of duty, that would explain why he no longer felt passion for the act now. Terra no longer held much loyalty or respect for the Overlords that had raised him and his sense of _duty_  was practically nonexistent.

Ansem was yelling again and Terra rolled his eyes within his faceless headgear. Even if the Opposition outbreaks were getting worse, this Purge wasn’t necessary in his opinion. Melmond was a quiet town just outside the Dark Capital. Its ground was rotting. The former streets were made of chunks of rock that had been haphazardly embedded into the decomposing earth. The houses were off white with frail, ruby shingles and shutters. Nearby, a stagnant, festering stream of algae and mold sluggishly flowed through the dying town of shallow graves.

Melmond wasn't neutral or occupied; it was simply a Dark Realm town filled with nothing but Servants of Darkness; those who devoted their loyalty to the Dark Rule wholeheartedly and selflessly. However, Purges were no longer limited to just Children of Light anymore. They were becoming more and more aggressive towards the Dark Realm as well and Terra found it unnecessary and a bit uncalled for.

It could have been the fact that he wasn’t used to being sober or maybe it was the betrayal that made him think the Dark Overlords were a bit sloppier than normal. They were a touch overzealous, hence the Purges in the heart of the Dark Realm. They were desperate for the blood of the Opposition, desperate to stop the budding unrest and it was causing them to turn on their own people.

"We don't know anything about the Opposition or this soldier named Zack, my Lord," the Dark Realm peasant humbly declared, his bald head shining in the dim light that filled his deteriorating home.

The plump, middle-aged peasant's wife and two daughters stood quietly beside him and helplessly watched events unfold.

Folding his arms, Terra lazily eyed them.

They were poor and clearly on the brink of starvation. They looked more like Children of Light than Servants of Darkness. The Dark Rule had not been merciful to this sector of the Dark Realm and Terra was reminded that not all of the Dark Realm was allowed to flourish, but these peasants didn't seem to know any better so their trust and loyalty had not been deterred.

Midnight blue eyes surveyed the two daughters. One was about four or five years older than the other one and she held the younger one securely at her side. The scene teased his memories and Terra was suddenly reminded of another Purge where a young woman with beautiful blue features protectively held her younger sister with long, cherry red locks to her side…

Instantly, the girls obtained his sympathy.

The man groveled at the hem of Lord Ansem's gray robes, crawling on his hands and knees at the emotionless monarch's feet in search of a penance he wouldn’t receive. "My Lord, please, believe me. We would  _never_  intentionally offer our home to an Opposition member.” 

Terra cringed.

The peasant just fucked up. It was over now. He had sealed his and his family's fate.

Demyx gave a goofy chuckle and Vanitas sneered while Axel and Terra remained indifferent—at least on the outside but on the inside, Terra was screaming. He wanted to tell the man to shut the fuck up and spare his family but it was too late now. Ansem was out for blood and he was going to get it. He needed someone to blame for the man named Zack's escape and sadly this family had just obtained that blame. It didn't matter if they were guilty or not, they would be made examples of.

Ansem said nothing. He regally adjusted his gloves, straightened his robes, and exited the tiny house, the Dark Knights following in his wake.

"Barricade the doors, seal up the windows, and throw a bit of dry grass around the home's foundation," Lord Ansem commanded indifferently.

The Overlord was going to burn the house down. While the others did as they were told, the bronze leaned against the ruins of what used to be a building.

Terra had been worthless in Purges since Blue's departure. He did not participate and when he did, easily defeated. He was careless, shoddy, and unheeding. He’d let a lot of Opposition members slip through the cracks. It wasn't that he was trying to lose he just had not drive or motivation anymore. The bronze warrior just didn't give a shit.

Ansem noticed Terra’s intentional disobedience and approached him. “If it doesn’t pain you too much, _Master Terra,_ would you mind making yourself useful and ignite the traitor’s house?”

Terra blatantly ignored the Dark Overlord. Stubbornly, he held his relaxed position against the crumbling rock wall.

"That was an order, Terra! Not a request!" Ansem roared.

Terra fearlessly snickered in response. "You know, Ansem. It doesn't matter how much you yell or how loud you manage to get, it just doesn't make your order any more appealing.”

"I am sick and tired of your intentional, contemptuous behavior! You are twenty-two fucking years old! Stop acting like a broody child who didn't get his way!"

Mute and obdurate, the Terra didn't budge.  

"They reminded you of her, didn't they?" Ansem sneered, his voice losing its hard edge and gaining a malicious timbre. "The two girls reminded you of your precious whore and her brat sister, didn't they? You can play stubborn and act cheeky all you want, but you forget  _I_ helped raise you and  _I_ know you,  _boy_. I see your tender heart and I see the real reason you don't want to set that house ablaze."

Terra's jaw clenched and his fists balled tightly at his armored sides. It hurt and angered him because it was true. He couldn't harm Blue or even someone who reminded him of her. It was one of the many symptoms of the chronic illness that plagued him.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I suggest you do what I demand before you reap the consequences of your disobedience," the heartless Overlord threatened darkly.

The melancholy Dark Knight stood upright and shoved past Ansem, making his way through the crowd of onlookers and back toward the town’s entrance. "Make Vanitas do it."

"I didn't order Vanitas to do it! I ordered  _you_ to!" The Overlord bellowed and glared daggers at the back of Terra's metal head.

"I'm not doing it," Terra replied calmly, a sickening amount of tranquility in his voice.

Lord Ansem snapped his fingers at Vanitas and motioned for him to set the house on fire before he chased after Terra.

"Take off your helmet." The Overlord's voice reverberated behind him, turning sinister and dangerous.

Terra laughed uproariously and shook his head dismissively but

Despite his booming laughter, he could still hear the house's foundation igniting. He could still hear the faint voices resonating inside the home and the hysterics that soon followed. They banged at the doors and tried to bust out the windows but actions had been taken to prevent their escape, and Axel and Demyx were guarding the appalled and terrified crowd to ensure that no one else helped them either. Anyone who tried would be slaughtered on the spot.

Distracted by the horrific sounds and the distress of the onlookers, Terra didn’t hear Ansem rushing at him. Before he knew what was happening, Ansem had wrestled him into a chokehold and mercilessly removed the helmet for him since he had refused to do so.

The Keyblade Master growled and snaked out of Ansem’s grip only to be struck across the face so hard that his jaw unhinged. Before he could recover from the first blow, a second quickly followed and collided with the other side of his severed mandible.

"Get over it!" Ansem shoved Terra to the ground. "She never loved you!"

Breathing hard, Terra staggered back to his feet and held the back of his hand to his shattered mouth to wipe the blood and saliva away.

"If you miss her so much, go steal another one! There are a billion other pea-brained Light whores out there that are  _just_  like her! And who knows! The next one might actually love you!" The monarch kicked Terra's stomach in just as he regained his footing.

The knight was seeing red and not because he had just been punched senseless. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His posture was hunched and his jaw clenched tightly despite being dislocated. Long, deep, ragged breaths wheezed in and out of his flared nostrils. Everything about his stance and actions screamed complete and utter fury. The look he gave the Overlord was so menacing and ominous that it caused the him waver. For the first time in his life, Terra saw fear behind Ansem's cold, orange eyes. He seemed genuinely afraid.

_He should be._

"Get out of my sight," Ansem hissed, breathless. "Take your worthless, demoted corpse to that fucking prison. You are a useless bag of meat and bones and I hope you are stationed in that prison until you putrefy with the rest of the worthless flesh inside that penitentiary!"

"As you wish….my  _Lord_." Terra slandered the title in a slow, foreboding tone, roughly wiping the crimson fluid from his mangled mouth and effortlessly getting to his feet.

Again, Terra could see the slight, momentary flash of apprehension behind Ansem's eyes. The monarch was right to fear him. He was so angry he just knew he could spit nails. Luckily for Ansem, he was agitated to the point of inaction. Otherwise, this situation would be playing out much differently, preferably with his entrails woven around and in between the ridges of his Keyblade…

As he moved to recover his helmet, the Dark Knight continued to glare at the ruler. Without taking his smoldering gaze off Ansem, he knelt to the ground and retrieved his headgear. Terra didn't utter another word as he secured his helmet atop his head and left the town.

* * *

Deling City was giving Terra a headache and he wasn't even hung-over…yet. He used to enjoy visiting this thriving city of lights and extravagance after a Purge but now, it just annoyed him.

Terra held his aching head in his ironclad hands as the thudding, blasting music sounded around him. Exotic dancers and scantily clad waitresses giggled and chirped but the only sound Terra was focusing on was the sound of liquor filling his crystal, clear glass.

"I still can't believe you defied Ansem like that!" Demyx mused loudly so this voice would carry over the blasting music.

Vanitas chuckled as one of the ugly dancers sat in his tainted lap. "I can. He has been nothing but a pain in the ass lately."

Normally, this would goad Terra into a fight but he remained unfazed. Vantias had tried but not even he could evoke emotion out of him.

"You’re lucky he didn't decide to kill you," Axel said from his place at Terra’s, sounding sincere.

"He doesn't have the balls to kill me. I’m too valuable," Terra said blankly yet arrogantly, tossing back his most recent shot of vodka.

Terra grimaced as the tart beverage wormed its way down his sober throat but the tartness quickly turned into a soothing warmth within the pit of his stomach. With a few more, Terra knew he could get that warmth to turn into numbness that would eventually make its way into his turbulent mind. If he was lucky, it might even numb his disease-ridden heart.

"I’m starting to think that you wouldn't care if he _did_  kill you." Axel scoffed and took a shot off one of the trays a waitress offered him.

The neon lights began to blur, the strobe lights dimmed, and the hovering fog of cigar and cigarette smoke began to thicken. He was finally getting drunk.

"You know, Axel. I didn't ask you assholes to follow me. If you came to lecture me about my will to live or my will to not live, you can leave," Terra spat and chucked his empty shot glass to the ground, causing the innocent crystal to shatter into tiny pieces. The pieces scattered and fragmented along the navy floor that was covered in dirt, grime, and glitter.

Almost instantly a waitress came to clean up the mess he’d made.

"Don't flatter yourself," Vanitas ridiculed as the topless dancer continued to writhe in his lap. "You know we like to come to Deling, you just happened to be still here once we finished the Purge."

"Details," the bronze knight grumbled and reclined in the curved, lush sofa they sat in.

With hazy eyes Terra watched one of the shiny, silver poles scattered across the room on elevated, angular platforms. Even before his decent, Terra  _never_  cared for the exotic dancers. He used to enjoy the atmosphere, the drinks, and being able to reminisce and converse with his fellow knights, but now he just liked the drinks.

"Hey, sweetheart," Vanitas purred to the girl in his lap, tilted her face toward him. "Do you think you have a friend that could cheer my broody brother up?"

Midnight blue eyes rolled. An exotic dancer covered in neon paint and glow sticks squirming in his lap wouldn't cheer him up. It would only piss him off more.

"Oh, but she has to have blue hair. He only likes ugly girls with blue features," Vanitas chuckled as he reclined and placed his hands behind his head.

Before the half-naked girl could answer, Terra jumped to his feet and barreled out of the noisy pub.

* * *

"This place makes me nervous," Aqua confessed as she Naminé, Riku, and Xion sat in the Galbadia Hotel in Deling City.

Quietly, they sat at a rounded table within the grand hotel's large lobby while a pianist played a gentle, calming tune. However, the melody did nothing to calm Aqua's nerves as they waited for Ven to check them into the hotel. This massive city was clearly a Dark Realm hotbed. Dark Knights and guards were everywhere. Deling City wasn’t occupied. It was just a full-blown Dark Realm city, like Hollow Bastion.

"It's fine, I promise," Riku assured her as he inspected the vanilla candle that sat in the center of the rounded table.

"What makes you so sure?" she whispered harshly, trying to hide behind her lengthy tresses of sapphire as a group of low-ranking Dark Knights walked past their table.

"This is a huge city with  _lots_  of people and _lots_  of places to hide. In a way, it’s safer than smaller places like Dali and Amur. We can blend in with all the tourists and civilians. We just have to be  _extra_  careful. Deling is in the Dark Realm but it’s nothing like Hollow Bastion. I promise. It’s full of nothing but travelers, sightseers, backpackers, and civilians. They can't possibly keep up with all the fugitives that come in and out of this place," Riku said with a confident shrug.

Aqua knew that Deling was just a city and not one that was really a major threat but it still made her nervous because it seemed like a place Dark Knights liked to come while they were off duty. She’d seen hundreds of them since they had arrived, but luckily, they were not elitists. At the same time, she knew this was the last place her party would be able to stay and regroup before they disappeared into the no man's land again. This was the last stop before ZoZo; the rest of their time would be spent in inhospitable regions and wastelands so she assumed she should try to enjoy civilization while she had the chance.

"Okay, I got our room." Ventus finally approached the table and tossed the chrome room key to Naminé.

"What about food?" Aqua asked and rubbed her growling stomach.

"We can eat in here," Xion replied.

"No, we need to grab something and eat in our room. Like I said, we have to be cautious while we’re here. This place is safe but only if we take the necessary precautions," Riku countered.

"I can go get us food while you guys go to our room and check our rations and supplies. Staying still makes me nervous. I feel better if I’m doing something. Tasks make coping a bit easier…" Aqua rose to her feet.

"I'll go with you. I'd like to see more of the city," Xion offered she stood as well, straightening the bottom of her tight, black hoody over her jean shorts.

"Maybe Riku or I should go with you two. It might—" Ventus began only to be glared at by the two young women.

"Okay. I know. I know. _'We can take care of yourselves'_ ," he quickly surrendered and held up his hands defensively.

"That’s what I thought you said," Aqua grumbled, causing the others to chuckle.

She knew Ven was just being considerate and wanted them to be safe, but she and Xion were more than capable of defending themselves. Plus, she doubted having a 'man' with them would make too much of a difference...

"If we’re gone too long, come looking for us. We won't go too far and we’ll stay in this general area," Xion added before she and Aqua began making her way through the crowd of people and toward the hotel's entranceway.

* * *

After walking through the crowded, bustling streets and sidewalks, they settled on a quant restaurant that sold sushi. It was a simple meal but Aqua was sure they could all agree on it. They placed their order, waited anxiously for a while, paid for the food, and began heading back to Galbadia Hotel.

Watching Xion enjoy the thriving city made Aqua genuinely smile for the first time in days. Happiness was an unfamiliar emotion for her now but she still managed to find it in others. Her personal happiness eluded her but the happiness she felt for others was still very easy to find.

"Do you like seeing this part of the world?" Aqua asked with a small smile.

"I do," Xion admitted. "It's nice to see these places, even as fugitives. We were never allowed to travel to this part of the world before. I know our situation isn't exactly lighthearted, but I do enjoy seeing new places."

Aqua bobbed her head in understanding. They all had their ways of coping. Each of them had their own unique way of dealing with their dire situation and they all had some form motivation that kept them going.

It was getting late and the streets were quieting and didn’t contain as many people as it did when they left the hotel. The crowds had dispersed, traffic was dissolving, and Aqua was actually able to hear the buzzing of the street lamps and the countless neon signs plastered atop the many towering buildings.

The momentary tranquility was shattered when the savage sound of clanking armor violated Aqua's senses. Her cerulean eyes left the urban scenery and squinted as they tried to locate the source of the bone-chilling yet painfully familiar sound.

Abruptly, she spun around and peered down the almost vacant street behind her.

“What is it?” Xion stopped walking tried to follow Aqua’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Squinting, Aqua could see two men further down the street, one taller and thicker than the other. She could see fiery red hair underneath an ebony hood outlined in jade. She could also see armor made of bronze and gold that glistened under pale glow of the streetlights, and she could almost see sincere, navy-blue eyes...

A gasp wretched from her frightened throat before she instinctively clasped onto Xion's wrist and drug them into a nearby alleyway.

The black-haired girl squeaked as Aqua hauled her into the alleyway and forced her to crouch next to a pile of garbage cans and litter. Before Xion could speak, Aqua silenced her with her hand. With an iron grip, Aqua held the girl's mouth closed, almost biting her own tongue in two to keep it from uttering a single sound.

_"Stop following me, Axel."_

Aqua's heart clenched and her eyes squeezed shut at the sound of Terra’s powerful voice.

The vital organ in her chest was confused. It didn't know if it should be excited or terrified to hear that masculine voice. Was he a friend or an enemy? Do we love him or do we hate him? Was it fear or delight that made it beat irregularly?

"Stop acting like an idiot and I will," Axel countered and Terra groaned in displeasure.

Xion's eyes shone with terror and frightening understanding. She looked at Aqua with desperation while Aqua held her composure for them both. She remained calm and sure for her even though on the inside she knew she was more terrified than Xion could ever be.

"Mind your own fucking business.”

The Dark Knights had stopped walking, their clanking armor no longer bashed against Aqua's eardrums, but she was shaking uncontrollably as she held Xion's mouth in one hand and the plastic bag of food in the other.

The bag was rustling and making noises but she couldn't stop her muscles from quivering.

Slowly, Aqua released Xion's mouth and tried to steady herself without making any other sounds. As gently and as quietly as she could, Aqua placed the sack of food on the ground so her shaking would no longer cause the plastic to rustle, but as she lowered the bag, a rat scurried out from under the litter she sat upon. Aqua yelped and dropped the bag causing the food to scatter across the alley.

"Look, I’m just worried about—“

"Did you hear something?" Terra asked with a jerk and turned to face the long, vacant alleyway filled with blackness, debris, and garbage.

The bronze knight squinted and tried to lift the lingering gloom from the alley. He thought he heard something that almost sounded like a girl and he was just drunk enough to think the yelp almost sounded like Blue.

"You're being paranoid. It's an alleyway full of gigantic rats. Of course you heard something." Axel grabbed Terra’s arm and tried to pull him away out of the alleyway.

"I-I thought I heard…" Terra yanked his arm away and took a drunken step into the alley.

Aqua heard the powerful step that echoed off the cobblestone and the narrow walls that surrounded them. The girls held their hands over their mouths and tried to vanish behind the garbage cans.

His voice made Aqua’s heart pang and ache to the point that she had to peak around the tin can to see him.

Bit by bit she shifted and peered over the overflowing trashcan to inspect the Dark Knight.

He looked horrible. His tanned skin was pale, his navy eyes were sunken and dark circles plagued his handsome eyes. He was clearly drunk and he looked clumsy and unassertive.

"No, Terra. You didn't hear who you thought you heard." Axel's jade eyes rolled and he tried again to lug his fellow knight out of the alleyway.

The dangerous footsteps began to retreat and Aqua had to force her treacherous tongue to not call for him before he left her. She continued to ignore the pang in her chest and the need that swelled inside every cell of her body as she emerged out from behind the garbage cans so she could watch him leave.

Noiselessly, Aqua sifted through the debris-ridden ground, compressed her back against the building side, and cautiously peered around the corner. With a heavy heart and perplexed, tormented eyes, she watched him clumsily depart.

"Are they gone?" Xion whispered only to be shushed by Aqua.

Once the older girl was sure they were indeed gone, she stumbled through the mounds of garbage, grabbed Xion's hand, and yanked her out of the alley with her.

"We have to get out of here," Aqua declared, relentlessly dragging Xion behind her.

They briskly ran back to the hotel and rocketed up the sleek, golden stairs to their room, not bothering to take the elevator.

Aqua barreled into the room without saying a word and began shoving their supplies back into the bags and satchels they carried with them. "We have to leave. Now."

"What's going on?" Naminé inquired with a yawn, sitting upright in bed and rubbing her eyes.

"Dark Knights are here and I don't mean the standard kind. Xion and I just saw Axel and Terra. We have to leave. _Now_."

Aqua didn't have to say anything else. Riku and Ventus left their places at the tiny table inside the room and began helping Aqua and Xion pack.

* * *

As they waited for Ventus to check them back out, Aqua fidgeted, jerked, and shook. Eventually, Xion took her hands in hers but Aqua continued to quake until she started to succumb to an anxiety attack. Her breathing speed up and sharp, short breaths wheezed in and out of her trembling lips.

"Aqua. It's going to be okay. Calm down," the raven-haired Keyblade wielder insisted, giving Aqua’s hands a gentle squeeze.

Nervously, Aqua nodded to pacify her.

"We’re checked out let's go." Ven approached and motioned for them to leave.

Ventus then darted to the glass entrance doors and held it open for his small party. Once they were all safely outside, he practically slammed the door behind them.

"Let's take a cab to the outskirts of town. After that, we can make a break for the woods," Riku stated as they began running down the street.

"Wait!" Naminé cried, stopping dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" Ventus rapidly spun around to face his younger sister, his brow furrowing from anxiety and confusion.

"My sketchpad…I left it in the lobby…"

"I'll go back and get it," Aqua turned on her heel and bolted back towards the hotel.

"Hurry!" Ven shouted.

Sapphire locks flew wildly around her and her skirt billowed as she dashed through the foyer and rushed down the vermillion steps into to the lavish lobby of chandeliers, gold trim, and sheer tapestries of powder blue.

Before her frantic, shifty eyes could locate Naminé's precious possession, they focused on a sturdy man in shining, bronze armor sitting at a nearby table.

He was reclined in the purple pew that curved around the table. His large, armor-plated feet were recklessly propped upon the table and his powerfully built arms were folded over his broad, metal chest. A pronged helmet rested on his table next to a bottle of whiskey and Naminé's sketchpad.

Deep, midnight blue eyes mated with eyes of undiluted sapphire as a smug smile slowly blossomed across his hardened, malevolent features. The emotionless line faded and was replaced by a deceivingly charming grin.

"Hi, Blue."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
> 
> I would like to remind everyone that all the towns and cities I use in this story are based on places from Final Fantasy and/or Kingdom Hearts. So you can look them up if you wanted to get a better visual.
> 
> And yes. Yes, I have brought in Cid Highwind as an Opposition member and I based his appearance on the way that he looked in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (because that is my favorite Cid Highwind design). You’re welcome!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	26. Searching For Former Clarity

"Hi, Blue," Terra greeted arrogantly, a dark smile on his face.

Aqua took a deep breath to calm herself and swallowed hard, watching him with detached, emotionless eyes.

"You look good," he complimented playfully but she could still hear the scorn in his  _flattering remark_

The bronze knight meant what he said. She looked good. She looked  _really_  good. Better than she ever looked inside Tarnen Palace. Aqua looked healthy and that grieved him for it only proved that he was beyond a doubt poisonous. He envenomed her both physically and emotionally.

_Flowers usually do better when they are planted amongst other flowers, not when they are planted in a field of wrathful weeds,_ he mused.

"You look awful," Aqua countered flatly.

He drank. She knew he did but she didn't know that he drank like  _this._  Terra never drank like this when she had been with him. It had never been this bad…

Terra sat upright, placed his elbows on the table, and folded his hands under his strong chin. "I'm sorry my appearance offends you."

Their eyes locked and they froze.

Aqua was afraid to blink. She was afraid to breathe. What was he going to do? What was she going to do? What were they  _supposed_  to do?

Terra stood leisurely and Aqua instinctively summoned Rainfell and pointed it at his chest.

The Dark Knight laughed menacingly, his armor rattling as he chuckled. "You want to fight? Is that it?"

Clearly far from intimidated, he walked toward her.

Aqua's eyes narrowed.

"Want to kill me?" Terra proceeded to close the distance between them, Rainfell drawing closer and closer to his steel-plated thorax.

"Do it!" he roared and grabbed Rainfell's apex and forced the weapon's sharp tip to the hollow, muscular organ that pumped blood through his body. "Slay the dragon!"

Aqua's dazzling eyes subtly trembled and almost watered as she glowered as if she were in pain from the anger and confusion she felt.

"Now that the prince has saved you from the keep, it’s only appropriate that the dragon that guarded you be slain," Terra mocked, ridiculing their bizarre situation.

The blue young woman seethed and held her Keyblade firmly in her hand, refusing to waver.

Aqua knew he was her dragon, but she never thought of him that way until that moment. If their story was a fairytale he would, in fact, be the dragon and she should want him slain. She should want to slay him. What captive princess wouldn't want the dragon that guarded her in her prison slain…

"Do it!" he repeated forcefully but she didn't flinch. "Put me out of my misery."

_Terra, what happened to you after I left…?_

Her heart ached to ask him. This was more than just her leaving. Something else plagued him but she didn't know what. Had the Overlords done something to him? She wanted to ask. She wanted to know so she could help him through it. Despite everything, she wanted to be there for him just as he had always tried to be there for her. Even though she never let him in, it still meant a lot to her that he tried.

Her body began to shake and her heart began to clench. Rainfell began to quiver and its metal shuttered in his cruel grip.

Sensing her hesitation, Terra grabbed her wrist and knocked the Keyblade out of her hand. Rainfell plummeted to the floor’s marble surface with a shrill clink.

The knight twisted her wrist and wrapped her arm around behind her back. He pulled her back to his chest, firmly holding her arm behind her back to keep her from moving. Once he was sure she was detained, he buried his face in her neck and pressed his scalding lips to her ear.

"Don't  _ever_  point that fucking thing at me again unless you plan on using it," Terra scolded, his breath searing into her ear and down her neck.

Aqua trembled and pulled her face away. She was angry with him and she was furious with herself for having pity for him but Terra was right. She never should have pointed Rainfell at him when they both knew she had no intention of actually using it.

"Let her go!" Ventus shouted as he and Riku ran down the stairs that descended into the lobby. Their Keyblades were summoned and they stood ready and willing to fight Terra to the death if necessary.

"With pleasure," Terra relented calmly and unenthusiastically before coarsely spinning Aqua around to face him.

Aqua's sky blue eyes went wide as Terra gripped her arms, chaining them to her sides. He loomed over her and looked down into her eyes sincerely yet savagely. Her breathing was shaky and he could hear each unsteady breath from their close proximity.

"Normally, I would be more than happy to deal with your shit," he whispered.

Aqua watched him with uncertain eyes full of worry and he couldn't figure out if the worry was for him or for her…or maybe for the men across the lobby that had drawn Keyblades on him.

"But you're in luck, Blue," he spat and it hurt that he wasn't calling her by name. "I'm off duty," he added with a devious grin.

Terra drew her even closer and instinctively, she felt like he might kiss her. Her body betrayed her, causing her eyelids to grow heavy and her muscles to relax so he could seize her lips.

"I never saw you," he hissed and he got so close to her that their lips almost met.

The tension was so thick and unbearable Aqua almost wished he would kiss her to remove the unbearable pressure and put an end to the insufferable affinity between them. It was so profuse and overwhelming she just knew everyone in the room could feel the rapport and furious sparks surging between them. Their attraction was primal, inescapable, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was predestined…

"Get out of my sight," the Keyblade Master growled and mercilessly threw Aqua back towards her friends.

Ventus ran to Aqua and tried to catch her but she regained her balance herself and pushed him away. She was sick of feeling helpless and she was sick of everyone acting like she was a damsel in distress, like she could take care of herself.

"Behave!" he chided ominously, mimicking the words he had always said before he left her with her _tutors._

The words assaulted her memories and suddenly, she was back in Tarnen Palace. Terra was leaving her again; he was leaving her with the Seer Sages or with a member of the Court. Although the situation was different, the uncomfortable feeling was the same. He was leaving her with her friends but she still found herself instinctively wanting to grab onto his cape and reel him back. She wanted to ask him when he was coming back, but this time she realized _if_  he was coming back would be a more appropriate question…

Before anyone could respond to him, Terra had stormed out of the lobby and disappeared into the desolate night outside the hotel.

Aqua blinked a few times and the flashbacks ultimately stopped. She covered her face with her hands and took long deep breaths to compose herself.

_You aren't in Hollow Bastion. He isn't leaving you with the Dark Overlords or anyone else from that horrible place. You’re in Deling City with your friends. You’re okay. You’re okay. He needs to leave, remember? It will be better for everyone if he leaves..._

"You okay?" Ven asked gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

It was a loaded question.

"Physically or emotionally?" She shrugged his hand off her shoulder.

"Um, both, I guess…" he answered with vast amounts of uncertainty, his hand falling to his side.

"No, Ven. I'm not okay," Aqua answered honestly as she wrapped her arms around herself.

The blue girl was trying to let her friends back in and she wouldn't be able to do that if she kept lying to them about how she really felt. She couldn't tell them everything and she  _definitely_  couldn't tell them about Terra, but she would divulge what she could. She couldn't exactly explain why she wasn't okay but she could at least be honest and tell him that she wasn't.

"Did he hurt you?" Riku took a step forward and looked her over.

"No… He didn't hurt me," Aqua shook her head. Somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her. She was terrified but deep down she knew he wouldn't harm her.

Aqua walked to the table where Terra had been seated and she could still pick up traces of his aroma. His subtle, masculine smell lingered around the table as she reached out to retrieve Naminé's sketchpad.

"Let's just leave," she said with a sigh, holding the sketchpad to her chest. She didn't want to dwell on it anymore. Like the knight said, they never saw each other and if he wanted to pretend that this little encounter never happened, then she did too.

* * *

The tempestuous sandstorm that usually raged through the Palamecia desert had calmed as night lingered in the clear, cloudless sky above the wasteland. The sea of sand was serene and tranquil as only a few, sporadic whirlpools of sand danced along the golden ocean's grainy surface.

Evanescent night was silent and the hum of Terra's Keyblade glider was the only unnatural disturbance for miles. The badlands were inaudible, but the knight's thoughts were not.

Should he have fought her? Should he have let her go? Should he have taken her captive and brought her back to Hollow Bastion with her friends for sentencing? Did he do the right thing? What was the  _right_ thing? Right was suddenly such a complex word, one that had been removed from his vocabulary until  _she_ came along. What even was the  _right_ thing? What was the wrong thing? Was he wrong? Was his cause wrong? Where did that thin blurred line even dwell? Light and Dark? Good and bad? Right and wrong…?

The Dark Knight had never really thought about such things before. He wasn't supposed to. He was only supposed to follow orders. No questions asked but ever since he met  _her_ and since he found out about his unwilling, unsuspecting role in the Black Mage project, he’d been thinking about it more and more. Seeing Blue again hadn't helped things either. He kept wondering if he had done the right thing by showing her disguised mercy. He knew it was what he wanted to do but was it the _right_  thing? Should she be allowed to roam freely after she defied his masters and escaped? Or should she be imprisoned and killed for her crimes? Were they even crimes? Had Blue ever really done anything wrong or worthy of execution, imprisonment, or even rehabilitation?

A year ago things were so much simpler. Without question he would have sided with his Lords and said that she deserved everything she had coming to her, but now he wasn't so sure…

The tilting tower could now be seen on the dusky horizon. He was getting close to the sinking prison so he began to slow down. It was very early in the morning or maybe very late at night depending on how one looked at it, and the prison would still be asleep.

Honestly, Terra was in no hurry to begin prison duty. It would be better than conducting Purges and living in Tarnen Palace. Anything would be better than that but he still wasn't looking forward to working in the prison that contained Blue's sister and master. This was the last prison he wanted to come to but this was the only one the Overlords wanted him assigned to.

Gauntleted hands subconsciously wandered into his pocket and tugged at the neglected charm. The orange Wayfinder was pulled from the hidden compartment in his armor but was quickly squeezed in his hand before he could lay his eyes upon it. He hid the trinket in his hand as if it would mistreat him if he freed it.

Terra held the charm in his hand as he once again gripped Keyblade glider's handlebar.

Had Blue's magic worked? Did that stupid fucking charm bring them back together or was it just a coincidence? Could such a worthless piece of junk really help them to always find a way back to each other? Could it really keep them from being driven apart? Did he even want that? Did she want that?

_Obviously not,_ Terra thought bitterly as his glider descended to the ground.

Still a bit drunk, the knight staggered off his Keyblade glider and stared back in the direction of Deling City.

Why did she give him this fucking thing if she didn't want them to keep bumping into each other? Was she crazy? Terra didn't believe in that kind of mushy, fluffy magic but apparently, she did. She made the Light-damn thing.

Midnight blue eyes stared angrily down at the innocent token the woman he loved made him.

He didn't get it. He didn't get her and the more he thought about it, the more frustrated and irritated he became.

"An unbreakable connection," he scoffed sourly. "What does that even mean!" he roared to the opposite horizon as if she could hear him.

Terra clasped the charm in his hand until it hurt. He didn't want to see her anymore. He didn't want an ‘ _unbreakable connection_.’ He didn't want something to always help them find their way back to each other. They were enemies. They didn't need to keep finding each other. In another life maybe, but not this one…

The Dark Knight wasn't superstitious or sentimental, but suddenly he felt that he might have to make an exception this time.

The Wayfinder was cool against his palm. Its reflective, orange tint glowed despite the blackness around him. The trinket was cool when he wrapped his fingers around it again but he threw it into the desert abyss as if it was scalding.

Terra hurled the charm into the murderous, sandy wasteland as hard as he could. He threw the trinket as if he were suspicious, as if he did believe in the legend Blue had told him, as if he did think the charm and Blue would continue to plague him unless he got rid of it forever.

The throw was so strong and so forceful the Keyblade Master fell to his hands and knees.

Between ragged breaths, Terra pounded the sand beneath him. The earth below the sand rumbled and responded to his call. His element groaned in agony and frustration with him as the ravenous sand swallowed the charm in the distance.

* * *

"She doesn't require much," Saïx explained as he led Terra down the dingy, stone halls of the Palamecian Desert's prison.

Terra nodded silently, sweat gathering underneath his carapace. He forgot how fucking hot this place could get. He wasn't used to the drastic climate change at all.

"She’s nothing like her sister. If you could handle Aqua, you can definitely handle her," Saïx continued, his voice carrying over the sound of the swirling, toxic sand that howled outside.

Terra remembered dealing with Kairi before he was forced to stay in Hollow Bastion with Blue. He knew the girl wasn't like her feisty sister. He didn't need Saïx to confirm that fact. He loathed how everyone treated him like a fool now. They could only associate him with Blue and his failure. No one took him seriously anymore. He was no longer the most powerful knight alive. He wasn't the ruthless Captain of the Dark Knights. He was the blubbering fool who fell in love with the Child of Light he failed to rehabilitate. He was demoted and left out of the loop and he knew Saïx wouldn't have dared talk to him like this a year ago…

"Roxas knows her routine. He’ll aid you if you need any help or if you forget anything." The scarred knight motioned for the prison guards to open the onyx door that led to Kairi's isolated cell.

Sand crunched and ground under their ironclad feet as they entered the poorly lit chamber. The girl's cell was slightly decorated in paper flowers she had probably made herself. They appeared to be made out of napkins from the dining hall and it looked like she had tried to color a few of them with what he wasn't sure until he noticed a crumbling box of crafts in a corner of her gloomy cubicle.

Terra started to wonder why they would allow such treatment then he remembered Kairi wasn't a normal prisoner. She was more like an experiment.

"She’s already had her injections and appropriate narcotics for today so you won't have to worry about that until later." Saïx brushed some of the sand off the bottom of his armor-plated boot.

"Then why am I here?" Terra snapped.

"She needs to get acquainted with you. She needs to get comfortable with you if you are taking my place for a while. It’ll make your job easier.”

Kairi may need to get acquainted with him but Terra wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. He’d agreed to take on Saïx's prison duties but he didn't think he would be sent to Palamecia. He supposed he could learn to deal with it. Again, anything was better than being at Tarnen.

Saïx kept talking about her but Terra hadn't seen her yet. Royal blue eyes surveyed the tiny cell until they located the small girl sitting in the corner clawing at her arms.

She wore a black dress with long sleeves and an oversized hood. Terra wouldn't have seen her at all if it weren't for her anemic hands and bruised legs being exposed.

The inmate's head rose and she watched them carefully.

"Saïx?" she called, stumbling to her bare feet.

The redhead staggered to Saïx and clasped his hand.

Terra's brow rose.

"W-Who is he?" Kairi asked suspiciously, her eyes not leaving the bronze knight. "Why…is h-he here…?"

"This is Terra. I have to go away for a while but he will care for you while I’m gone," Saïx assured flatly with no compassion or concern in his stony voice.

Kairi eyed Terra skeptically under her shadowy hood. "I-Is he…one of my b-brothers…I haven't met yet?"

"Yes," Saïx responded vacantly.

Kairi's posture straightened with excitement before she clumsily embraced Terra's steel-plated waist.

"Wha…!" Terra yelped and held his hands away from her.

The bronze knight glared at Saïx as if to say, _‘What the fuck is this?!’_

"The illusion is part of her  _treatment,_ " Saïx assured him. " The girl craved family and some form of stability and Xehanort demanded we give it to her."

Terra didn't return the girl's embrace but he allowed her to hold onto him.

Eventually, she released him and beamed up at him. Kairi's ebony hood peeled back as she looked up at him and her smile made his skin crawl. He could see the family resemblance.

"Oh, and you can't ever mention  _you know who_. She knows nothing of relation to  _her_  or the life she had before she was brought here. So never speak of  _her_ or the fact that she is her biological sibling," Saïx heeded and folded his arms over his metal trunk.

"I don't understand," Terra replied honestly.

"Precautions have been taken in case  _Blue_ were to somehow manage to break in and retrieve her," Saïx clarified as they watched Kairi thoughtlessly roam around her room and inspect her paper creations as if they were real.

"Have the seers seen that?" Terra questioned, eyes fell to the sandy floor.

"Apparently. I didn't ask but Xehanort found the threat to be significant enough that he convinced Kairi that we are her only family and that  _Blue_ is the reason she is forced to live here."

Terra nodded.

It made sense. If Blue could somehow manage to get into the prison and rescue Kairi, having Kairi fear her would cause Kairi to be reluctant. She would run from Blue and come to them if Blue tried to take her. It was a bit of insurance that would help the Overlords sleep a bit better. Now that Blue had successfully escaped, the preemptive action seemed like a clever move. In hindsight, it was wise of them to bring forth the necessary precautions.

"She’s allowed to see Sora but I wouldn't recommend it. Ansem and Marluxia seem to believe that seeing her could break him and we might be able to make a Dark Knight out of him or some shit like that but I’m not convinced," Saïx huffed.

Terra couldn't see his tawny eyes but he knew he was rolling them. Dark Knights and the Seer Sages didn't always see eye to eye.

"Anyway, if she asks questions, just continue to reinforce what we have already established. She won't question it. Got it?"

"Yeah. I got it." Terra watched Kairi crouch on the floor and scratch at her arms until she drew blood. "You’re excused."

Saïx kept his emotionless façade and quietly exited the cell so he could return to the Dark Capital and take Terra's place.

Once Saïx left the room, Terra wasn't sure what to do with himself. He was supposed to interrogate her. He knew that but he wasn't sure how to go about it. Should he just jump into it? Should he talk to her a bit first? He had to admit he was a bit out of his element in prisons. Terra was a powerhouse. He was used to intimidate and overpower. Plotting and calculating was more Saïx and Demyx's style.

The sound of scraping flesh filled the room and Terra decided before he did any questioning he should make the girl stop ripping her arms to shreds.

"Leave us." The Keyblade Master dismissed the guards and they did as they were told.

Terra cleared his throat.  "Kairi."

The young girl's head bobbed up but Terra couldn't see her face. The room was too dark and the hood that covered her features was too large. It was probably for the best. She would probably just remind him of someone, again.

"Stop," he chided gently and held her wrist to stop the assault.

Blood and flesh were caked up under her colorless fingernails from where she had spent countless hours clawing away at the underside of her arms.

"It burns. It’s prickly and itchy," Kairi complained but she listened to him and stopped.

_Yeah. You’re definitely not like your sister…_

"That may be so, but ripping the skin off your arms isn't going to make it feel any better," Terra insisted.

It had been a long time since he’d seen her but he could still tell that she looked different. She was probably a bit taller and  _much_ skinner.

Terra peered into her hood and saw that her face was as pale as her legs and her cheeks were sunken in from malnutrition.

His eyes traveled down to her arms to the area where she had been inhumanely scraping her own flesh to ribbons. He could see the trails the massive needles had left as they wormed their way up her arm to administer magic suppressant and the narcotics that would manipulate her memory. Over the morbid, bulbous paths were her claw marks and lacerations that she’d made.

Terra was not a man with a weak stomach. He could handle  _any_  amount of gore but her arms still made his stomach twitch when he first laid eyes upon them.

The metal door to her cell creaked and Terra bristled as he released Kairi's arm.

"I said to leave us alone!" Terra scowled at the doorway but his scowl fell when he saw Roxas in the cell's entryway.

"Easy!" Roxas defended as he brought in a fresh box of paints and crafts. "It's just me!"

_So those were from Roxas. Figures._

Terra started to apologize for yelling at him but he didn't really see the point. Roxas was used to being yelled at. Plus, Terra wasn't really in the mood to apologize.

"So you’re the one who has been giving her the crafts."

"Yeah. I felt bad for her when she sat in here with nothing to do but stare at the walls so I thought I’d give her something to do. Xehanort thought it was a good idea." Roxas placed the decaying box of crafts next to the other half empty one.

Kairi had decorated the room like a garden. She had mimicked the outdoors. She had given the room a paper sun, flowers, birds, and even a few clouds. The redhead had tried to turn the dreary cell into something real or maybe even something from her memories.

"Couldn't hurt." Terra shrugged indifferently.

"Hi, R-Roxas," Kairi greeted and she peaked around the older knight's broad form.

"Hi, Kairi. Are you feeling okay today?" Roxas asked sincerely as he dug around in the box of crafts.

Kairi nodded and quickly pointed to the bronze knight. "Terra?"

Roxas smiled and peered over his shoulder at them. "Yeah, I know Terra."

"Are you the one that usually interrogates her?" Terra asked abruptly when he grew tired of the small talk.

"No." Roxas’ smile fell. "Saïx usually does. I just usually come to check on her after they’re done with her. I feel bad for her…and when I found out that she was Aqua's sister I wanted to—"

"Save it," Terra hissed and stormed to the other side of the room. The wound from stumbling across Blue in Deling City was still traumatically fresh and he didn't want to even _think_ about her, much less talk about her.

Roxas didn't have to explain himself. Terra knew what he did. He would come and offer Kairi kindness and compassion just as he had for Blue. Roxas probably did it as a favor to his blue-haired friend.

"Dr. Lugae told me to give you these." Roxas crossed the cell, his arms full of files and journals.

_So Dr. Lugae is working on her. That would explain the conditions her arms are in. I knew Vexen would never be that sloppy._

"He said everything you need to know is in these documents, records, and whatnot," the blonde knight continued.

Dr. Lugae was the  _lovely_ man who administered the first Dark Knight experimental procedures. He was the first scientist to volunteer to begin injecting Dark Knights with Darkness. Because Vexen was too arrogant to deal with something he deemed trivial and insignificant, Dr. Lugae had administered the first, trial treatments into Vanitas and several other potential knights. When only Vanitas survived the Darkness injection, Terra, Saïx, Axel, and countless others had obtained a similar treatment after Dr. Lugae and another Dark Realm scientist, Professor Hojo, made some minor adjustments to the once fatal dosage. Years later, Demyx and Roxas were fortunate enough to receive the perfected treatment after Vexen, Dr. Lugae, and Professor Hojo made the final adjustments.

"Yay," Terra sneered unenthusiastically as he took the massive heap from Roxas’.

He glanced at the documents but didn't delve into them. He walked to the other side of the cell and carelessly dropped the pile to the floor by a tarnished, lopsided chair. With a heavy sigh he removed his helmet and began rubbing the back of his cramping neck.

"Hey…" the dual Keyblade Master finally spoke up after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Hmm?" Terra answered despite his better judgment, plopped into the rusted interrogation chair as he did so.

"I heard about Aqua… Are… Are you okay?" Roxas asked sincerely and his sincerity made Terra nauseous. He liked it better when he was ridiculed and insulted, not when people tried to sympathize with him.

"Why would I not be okay?" he countered coldly, playing dumb as he tossed his helmet to his feet.

"You know, it's okay if you miss her," Roxas replied timidly while Kairi ran to him and placed an unopened paint canister in his hand. Understanding her silent command, Roxas helped Kairi open one of her new containers of paint.

Terra exhaled harshly and rested his elbows on his bent knees. "I don't miss her."

"I'll miss her," Roxas shamelessly admitted and handed the opened canister back to the redhead.

That statement automatically made Terra wonder where the Overlords had gone wrong with Roxas. He was much kinder than the rest of them. Then again, that kindness worked to their advantage inside prisons and in interrogations. They used him in joint interrogation situations. A friend and foe psychological tactic often used in interrogations and trials would allow Roxas to be the friend that could get the victim or victims to crack and confide in him. Roxas was a unique tool for the Dark Rule, an oblivious tool but still an effective one.

"That's because you're a pussy." Terra smirked.

The blonde Keyblade Master sighed. "Whatever you say."

Roxas wasn't an idiot. He knew Terra wouldn't budge or open up. It was against his nature. Even if he did miss her, he would never admit it to anyone but himself. Roxas would miss her and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He was sad that he wasn't able to say goodbye and that he hadn't had the chance to spend more time with her in the last few months of rehabilitation, but he liked to think that she would be grateful to him for trying to look after Kairi.

"Have they caught her yet?" Roxas removed his helmet too. Honestly, he was a bit surprised Terra hadn't been sent after Aqua himself.

"No. They don't seem to be too worried about her. They probably know something we don't. Like always," Terra grumbled and removed the grainy sweat from his brow.

Reluctantly, Terra bent down, grabbed one of the files off the pile of paperwork, and began examining its contents. He probably didn't need to read through it but he did anyway. Instantly, he noticed that they had her on so much magic suppressant Terra felt like his magic was fading just by touching her file. They weren't just suppressing her magic they were extinguishing it. Kairi would never be able to conjure again. Magic definitely wasn't in the cards for her anymore.

_Blue wouldn't be happy about that one._

Tanned fingers flipped to the next page. The knight smirked when he recognized Lugae's and even some of Vexen's handwriting. They had made notes on her mental progress, on how they successfully made her a blank slate, and how she was being reconstructed. The file spoke of her reverting to child like tendencies and how she was gradually regaining the ability to speak in full sentences. She was slowly regaining her attention span, her awareness, and the extreme amnesia was fading.

That was where the interrogation came in. Terra would be expected to ask her questions and feed her the  _proper_ answers if she didn’t reply correctly on her own. From what he read, it looked like the re-education process was taking longer than expected. It was hard for them to keep her old memories at bay while allowing her to retain the ones she retained after she was imprisoned. The selective amnesia, as they called it, was a work in progress. It seemed like they couldn't quite get the result they desired.

_I hate to break it to you, Kairi, but I think you’re a failure just like your sister._

Terra had seen the Overlords little  _projects_ before and not all of them worked out as planned and when they didn't, the  _project_  would be disposed of. Sadly, Terra could recognize a failing project when he saw one, and Kairi's re-education project was failing.

The Dark Knight seriously doubted they would be able to mentally reconstruct a Child of Light or a fugitive until they were an ideal Dark Realm citizen that could be safely released back into the world. It would make the Dark Rule's job a lot easier and they would be able to take the Overlord's preemptive action technique to a whole new level but it seemed a bit too good to be true. It would be way too easy to just  _reeducate_ a potential problem until they weren't a problem anymore, until they were completely loyal to the Dark Rule and all that was associated with it. If successful, it would probably replace the inefficient, inconsistent rehabilitation process and maybe even help with the overpopulated prisons, but it would never work. Even if it was doomed for failure, Terra supposed he would do his job anyway…

"All right, little Red," Terra said after clearing this throat. "Feel like answering some questions?"

* * *

Soaking wet, Aqua walked into the abandoned building within ZoZo. She made sure to avoid the wood and nails scattered across the floor from where Riku and Ven had kicked the door in. She shivered and began raising her body temperature so she could try to evaporate some of the rain that clung to her skin. The rain in ZoZo was steady and warm but the deserted building was drafty, making the balmy, springtime precipitation chilly.

They were off schedule. The party didn't want to arrive at ZoZo during the night but they had. It would’ve been better if they had gotten there during the day so they could have seen Mona and left before they were forced to stay overnight. Despite their best efforts, they had still arrived in ZoZo at dusk and now they were required to seek refuge inside the inhospitable city.

The others had warned Aqua of the cruel, bizarre city and she was hoping they were exaggerating a bit. They weren't. The city was horrible, dead, decaying, rusted, and full of nothing but no goods and ruffians. The metropolis did nothing for Aqua's impression of the seeress who chose to live there.

"How did you learn how to use Fire?" Naminé asked.

Apparently, she saw the steam rising from Aqua's body as they ascended the uninhabited boarding house's stairs that hopefully led to an inhabitable bedroom.

The blue girl blew Fire out of her mouth and into her opened palms. "Someone taught me."

"I think she probably knew that," Riku snapped.  

"What else did you learn to do?" Ven asked, trying to change the tone of the conversation as he began inspecting some of the deserted building's accommodations.

"Thunder and a few Keyblade techniques," she answered while ringing the water out of her hair. "I'm going to see if this room has any running water." Aqua entered the intact room Ventus was inspecting before she could be questioned anymore.

The small party followed her into the musty apartment and began examining the room further to see if it would be a suitable place for them to stay overnight.

While the others were busy with the main part of the dwelling place, Aqua ventured to the room's washroom. The bathroom was unlit and she was stumbling over herself in order to fully enter the washroom. Debris and rubble were everywhere so she lit a flame in her hand so she would stop crashing into unknown, potentially hazardous objects.

Aqua didn't like using her  _new_ magic in front of the others because they would always question her but she just knew she would fall through the rotten flooring if she didn't light her way.

Ivory fingers carefully slid along the molded, greasy wall as they searched for a light switch. She seriously doubted the room had working electricity but it was worth a shot.

Eventually, her fingers found the corroded switch and flicked the reluctant lever into motion. The switch cracked up and a blindingly white light filled the washroom with a pitiless illumination that caused the roaches to scatter.

Carefully, Aqua avoided the cracked, razor-edged tiles on the bathroom floor and made her way to the sink. With the back of her hand she swept away the cobwebs that attached themselves to the silver sink. Once the webs were gone, she attempted to turn on the water.

The pipes groaned and the faucet sporadically spat muddied water. After a few moments, the chunky gunk faded away and the faucet spewed a steady stream of almost clear water.

"We have water!" Aqua announced and turned the water back off. "I think we should stop wandering around this place and stay in this room for the night!"

Thunder rumbled outside and she couldn't hear her any replies. As she moved to turn the light back off and rejoin them, the doppelgänger in the severely cracked mirror caught her attention.

Aqua turned and squinted at her twin. The pale lights flickered and buzzed as she stared at her duplicate. She didn't like whom she saw. The clone wore new, different clothes but Aqua could still recognize the girl as the helpless captive inside Hollow Bastion.

Aqua hated the way she looked. The girl looking back at her was the girl who had gotten herself captured, the girl who failed to save her sister and her Master, the stupid girl who actually cared for a Dark Knight. The one that maybe even could have loved him.

She hated that girl for being so ignorant and naïve.

The girl in the mirror couldn't fight Terra when she stumbled upon him in Deling. She had wavered and he’d taken advantage of her hesitation. She had let her emotions and their perplexing past get the better of her. That girl had kissed Terra, she let him run his fingers through her hair, heal her wounds, and she allowed him to hold her while they shared a bed together…only to have him turn against her in the end...

That girl had curtsied to the Overlords, she went on Purges with Terra, she had let Marluxia take her memories and inner thoughts away from her, she had let Larxene project into her mind, she’d let Zexion play mind games with her, she had let Vexen take her magic, and she had almost become the Black Mage. She had almost been broken.

Aqua shuttered to think how close she was to completely submitting…

That girl sickened her. Her appearance sickened her. The clothes weren't enough. That change wasn't drastic enough. She still looked too much like  _that_  blasphemous, ignorant, powerless, guileless, and defenseless girl.

Frantically, Aqua picked up one of the fractured pieces of the broken mirror off the floor and began hacking her lengthy, cobalt tresses to bits. She grabbed fistfuls of the sapphire locks and cut through them mercilessly. Aqua began ridding herself of the blue curtain of hair she’d hidden behind inside the Dark Capital; the tresses Terra's thick, tanned fingers had stroked so tenderly.

Ruthless hacking and chopping continued until her hair reached her shoulders but it wasn't enough. She wanted more of it gone. She didn't want to look like that girl  _at all_  anymore. She didn't want to be that helpless failure anymore. She wanted to be almost unrecognizable to herself and even to her pursuers. Maybe the Seer Sages would track the imbecilic girl from the Tarnen Palace with long, blue hair and not her…

Once she was pleased with her haircut, she chucked the piece of mirror into the sink with the remnants of her former mane. When she looked back in the mirror she didn't see the incapable captive anymore and she felt satisfied. Aqua finally felt like she had transformed enough and that maybe she could finally leave that part of her life behind. She could never forget it but maybe she could learn from it and become a better, stronger person for it. It would always be a part of her and she could accept that but maybe now she could move on.

Her hair was much shorter than it had ever been. It was uneven and some of it was left to travel down the back of her neck but the locks didn't reach her shoulders. It was very short on the sides and fell raggedly around her chin. She left her bangs but the rest of her head had been chopped to bits.

Aqua ran her fingers through her short tresses and shook off the stray, detached locks that still held onto to her head. She wiped the remains off her shoulders and her shirt as she went back to rejoin her friends.

"Whoa!" Ven cried.

"You cut your hair!" Naminé exclaimed with excitement.

"Um, yeah.” Aqua replied with a small smile. It was all she could think to say.

"I like it. You look…more like you somehow," Riku said with a tilt of his head.

"I agree." Xion nodded. "You’ve never had your hair short before but…it definitely suits you, maybe even more than your long hair did."

"Thank you," Aqua replied genuinely.

She was so glad they weren't making a big deal about her latest…breakdown. They simply acted like she had gone to a parlor and gotten her hair cut instead of wandering into a bathroom and unmethodically hacking her hair to bits in an emotional upsurge…with a fractured piece of reflecting surface…

_Light, help me, I am crazy…_

* * *

"Let's go, Eraqus!" Terra bellowed over the sandstorm and the groans of labor.

A chained and shackled Master Eraqus crawled out of the deep pit of mud used to create brittle bricks and mortar that would be used to repair the ancient prison's dilapidated structure.

The monumental, tilted tower that harbored a legion of prisoners appeared as though it was sinking into the nocuous mounds of sand, but the establishment was surprisingly sound. Prisoners were forced to do fruitless labor only to wear them down and to keep them from making trouble, not to actually make efficient repairs. They were propelled into the desert to ensure their will remained brittle and that their strength would continue to elude them.

Recently, there had been talk of expanding the great desert prison because of the endless swell of prisoners that continued to fill the Palamecian prison to the brim. If the expansion plan were set into motion, the prisoners would be forced to build the very walls that would enclose them, their fellow prisoners, and their people. The labor would be free and it would be another way to degrade and oppress the Children of Light.

During the time Terra spent waiting on Master Eraqus to trudge through the dust bowl, he noticed that Sora was amongst the prisoners outside the prison today. The brown-haired Child of Light was chained to several other prisoners, kneeling in the burning sand and attempting to apply muddy paste into the establishment's surface; his bare, cadaverous back blistered and covered in whip marks from his time spent toiling away in the blazing desert. His work was futile and for naught. Whatever work the prisoners did today would be worn off and forgotten by the next day, and the cycle would begin anew. The mortar was purposely made from mud so that no substantial repairs would actually be made but Terra had a feeling that was about to change. The expansion project would be set into motion soon and the unproductive drudgery would end.

"How is your concussion, Sora?" Terra teased over the sound of cracking whips and wailing sand.

The Dark Knight smirked. Saïx had told him of how he had bashed Sora's head into a stone table in the mess hall and Terra found that terribly funny.

Sora didn't answer but he did give Terra a nasty glare. The knight hadn't expected him to actually answer him because one of the nearby guards would either whip or bludgeon him for bickering with one of the élite, but he still thoroughly enjoyed watching Sora fight the urge to quarrel with him.

"Leave the boy alone," Eraqus panted and wiped the abundance of sweat, blood, and sand from his face and neck

"Excuse me?" Terra hissed, scowling at the former instructor. He wished his helmet were removed so Eraqus could see the fowl look he was giving him.

"I told you to leave the boy alone. He endures enough torture and he doesn't need your aid in his misery," The Master looked sternly at the cross young man.

The bronze warrior scoffed and almost laughed. "Like  _you_ can tell me what to do." Terra folded his arms over his chest. “Look, I don’t have time for your bullshit, Eraqus. I’m just here to escort your inferior hide back to your cell.” 

Eraqus looked dehydrated, emaciated, and sick. Terra had no idea how long he’d been in the desert working the dunes but he assumed it had been a while by the look of him. Blisters and burns coated his ashen flesh from the infinite hours spent in the unforgiving wasteland underneath the ferocious midday sun. Whip marks and lacerations from swords and daggers coated his aged but toned body.

He could tell Eraqus had once been hard-bodied and maybe even powerful. Even with age and the time he had spent in the prison, the man still maintained a shadow of his former glory.

"You’re different," Eraqus wheezed as Terra began unhooking the chains that bound Eraqus to the other line of prisoners who had been doing the same task as he.

Terra acted like he didn't hear him and began leading him back to his personal dungeon.

The two men silently walked the dismal, spiraling halls and murky stairways of the high-rise that led back to Eraqus's unit cell. As they ascended to the upper tier for the more dangerous and special prisoners, Terra didn't worry about Eraqus harming him or trying to make a break for it. It didn't bother him that he didn't have any guards helping him escort the war prisoner back to his cell. Master Eraqus was a broken shell of a man and Terra didn't like relying on guards. He was more than capable of taking care of things like this himself.

Upon reaching the massive, metal door of Eraqus's cubicle, the Dark Keyblade Master grabbed the chain that dangled between Eraqus's hands and unsympathetically hauled him into his sizable holding cell.

Eraqus was a special war prisoner so his cell needed to be larger in case the Overlords wanted to pay him a  _friendly visit._

As Terra slung the prisoner around like a rag doll, he desperately tried to forget that this was the man who had raised Blue.

He detached his headgear, knelt to one knee, and gently placed it on the ground next to him so he could see within the gloomy, sunless cell. Chains rattled and clinked while Terra began unlocking and unfastening the inmate's blistering, sand covered shackles.

Eraqus plopped onto the ground in exhaustion and began massaging his aching, abscess covered ankles and wrists.

With a heavy sigh, the knight stood and began diligently coiling Eraqus's shackles and chains. They were still piping hot to the touch even with his gauntlets on and he cringed at the thought of how they would feel if they were firmly latched onto the tender, exposed flesh of his ankles and wrists. Guilt surged in his guts and he realized he was coming more and more acquainted with the unpleasant feeling.

The shackles and chains were thrown into a corner outside of the Light Keyblade Master's cell so they could be retrieved when Eraqus was forced to work the dunes again.

Terra grabbed his helmet, walked out of the cell, slammed the barred gate behind him, and walked through the small open area where interrogators could question the man. After he secured his helmet upon his head, he placed his hand on the massive metal door and started to make his way back into the winding halls of the penal institution.

_"How is my student?"_

"Which one?" Terra asked and immediately wanted to rip his tongue out of his mouth.

_Fuck…_

The prisoner of war watched Terra tense and shift uncomfortably within his protective covering.

"I was asking about Kairi, but if you know something about one of my other students, I would like to know that as well," Eraqus responded skeptically as he tried to obtain a comfortable position on the grimy floor of his prison cell.

"Kairi is as good as she can be," Terra answered but didn't turn to face him, instead his eyes remained fixed on the metal door before him that led back into prison's wreathing labyrinth.

"And Aqua?"

Terra bristled and Eraqus noticed. "She was fine the last time I saw her, alright? All of your students were fine. There. Now are you satisfied?"

"So it was true. Xehanort boasted on how he planned on turning Aqua against me and how she would make way for some kind of new, magical utensil for the Dark Rule. He also told me that he was going to use you to do it, but since you are here, I take it that he was unsuccessful?" Eraqus’ brow rose in inquiry.

"She isn't with me if that is what you're asking," the knight huffed bitterly and crossed his armored arms.

"She got to you, didn't she? That is why you’re different. That is the change I see.”

"Shut up." Terra’s hands curled in irritation against his biceps.

"You are troubled and conflicted. I see it.”

"Shut up. I'm warning you!" the Dark Knight snapped and spun around to face the inmate.

Master Eraqus smiled. "They have betrayed your trust, haven't they? I can tell by how defensive you are. Your confidence has been shaken. You’re not as sure as you were when you came to my home and abducted Kairi and me."

Terra's head fell and his posture slouched. His arms dangled lifelessly at his sides as he listened to a man whom hardly knew him speak the truth. Eraqus could read him just like Blue could.

"Perhaps I have no one to blame but myself for the Darkness and conflict inside you," Eraqus said somberly, lowering his head in shame.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the young man groaned in exasperation.

"A long time ago, Yen Sid and I went to a city within the Dark Realm. It was before things got so bad and we were still able to travel within certain sectors of the Dark Realm. We stumbled upon a Purge gone wrong. Purges were relatively new at that time and weren't like the Purges you conduct today." The older Keyblade master’s eyes grew distant. "Civil strife broke out and many innocent civilians were hurt…including your mother.”

Terra breath hitched and a thick lump lodged in his windpipe. He was about to smart off but when Eraqus mentioned his biological mother, he found that he no longer had the voice to do so.

"She was dying. I assumed her husband had already been killed and she had been fatally injured. I wanted to try to heal her but just as I was about to aid her, Xehanort approached her. Desperate and afraid, she begged him to take care of the bloodstained child she held protectively in her arms—at least she did until Xehanort told her that the babe would honor her memory by becoming one of his Dark Knights. He saw power within the child and knew that it held much potential and he could harness the infant's power but the young woman spurned and began to demand that he return her child to her. She didn't want her child to be a part of the Dark Rule's chaos; the same chaos that had probably killed her spouse and that would ultimately claim her life as well, but Xehanort had other plans." Eraqus winced and took a deep breath.

"Once Xehanort gets something in his head, he cannot be deterred. He cannot let things go and he had gotten it in his mind that he would take the newborn. The woman used the last of her strength to resist him…before I could reach her…Xehanort literally kicked her head in and wretched the child from her lifeless arms." Master Eraqus sympathetically watched the knight's unreadable posture.

"I wish I could say that I was able stop Xehanort from performing such an unspeakable act, but sadly I cannot. I tried to get to her in time. I even grappled with Xehanort so I could take you in as one of my own, but fate had other plans. For a long time, I wasn't sure which knight was the child Xehanort had taken, but when I saw your eyes, I knew it was you. Your eyes contain the same unmistakable hue of deep blue as hers.”

Terra squeezed his eyes shut until it almost hurt.

"Why are you telling me this?!" he roared, his eyes ripping open. His body shook and his hands clenched so firmly that he thought his palms might bleed.

"Because, if I were you, I would want to know what kind of man I am serving. I believe you have the right to know and Xehanort would never divulge such information to you. It wouldn't do for one of his knights to distrust him."

"Why should I believe anything that comes out of your dirty mouth? Y-You… You could be making all this up just to get me to turn against my Lords! You are just trying to trick me…so-so I-I'll betray them and help you escape!" Terra stammered uncontrollably and his voice shook with confusion and frustration.

"I never said anything about wanting your aid or wanting you to turn against the men who raised you. Those words came out of your mouth, not mine," the Light Keyblade Master bluntly pointed out as he nestled into one of his cells corners.

"You’re wrong! You’re trying to trick me! That’s what you want me to think! That’s what you Light peasants do! You’re the real monsters, not us! You deceive and manipulate people into feeling sorry for you and helping you and…and… " Terra's confidence began to waver and his powerful words turned more into questions than actual statements. The certainty in his voice trailed off until nothing remained but bewilderment.

Eraqus shook his head back and forth in dismay. "You're not so sure about any of that anymore, are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I know there wasn't much Aqua POV in this chapter but we will get more of her POV later. However, Aqua DID cut her hair in this chapter! She now has the same haircut as Aqua from BBS!
> 
> Additionally, (as you already know) I’ve brought in other scientists from other Final Fantasy games because realistically, Vexen can't be the only scientist in the Dark Realm. So I’ve brought in Dr. Lugae from FF IV and Professor Hojo from VII. If you’re not familiar with them, you can look them up and of course, I’ll address my version of them more in the future!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	27. Frosty Flowers

_“Again, again!" Kairi cried excitedly, clapping her tiny hands together._

_The blue-haired girl smiled at her and giggled. She extended her hand over one of the many blossoms they sat amongst and began casting Cure upon it. The life properties of the white magic stirred the flower's bloom, causing it to fully blossom as if blue girl's hand was the sun itself._

_Once the bud was a beautiful, fully realized blossom, she plucked it and cast Blizzard upon it, making a sparkling, icy flower._

" _Oh!" The redheaded child pointed to a bright yellow flower that had already bloomed. "I want that one! Can you freeze it too?"_

_The older girl chewed her bottom lip. "I don't think I should freeze anymore. You know Mom and Dad don't like for me to use my magic much anymore…"_

" _But I like when you do, Awa!" Kairi cried, accidentally mispronouncing the older girl's name. Saying her name was still a bit of a challenge._

" _Please?" she pleaded. She would have frozen the flower herself but she could only use Fire based magics._

_Before her sister could answer her, her baby blue eyes went distant as they stared over the forest of trees behind them._

" _What is it?"_   _Kairi shifted on the vibrant ground and turned to see what her sister was looking at._

_Over the forested canopy was a thick black cloud that dominated pieces of the clear sky and corrupted nearby clouds of white until they turned black._

" _It's smoke," "Come on. We have to get back to the village." The blue girl grabbed Kairi's hand, lifted her off the flowerbed, and pulled her through the vibrant meadow and into the woods that led back to their home._

_Kairi didn't understand. Why was smoke bad? Why was she so worried? Why did they need to get back so quickly?_

_Suddenly, everything went black and all that remained was Aqua’s screaming…_

" _Nana!”_

_“Mama!”_

_“Dad!"_

" _Aqua, take Kairi and run as fast as you can! Run! Don't look back! Don't look back!"_

* * *

"Awa!" Kairi cried as she jolted awake.

She was surrounded by blackness. She wasn't in the huge meadow with the kind, blue-haired girl she had called Awa… She wasn't sure where she was. The space was dark, musty, unfriendly, and cold. Her arms stung, burned, and ached. Her stomach cramped with hunger and her throat was raw from thirst.

"Awa!" she sobbed, baffled tears ferociously streaming down her hollow cheeks.

Kairi was confused, alone, and frightened. She longed for the warm familiarity she had been experiencing before she awoke in this foreign room. She wanted that girl from the meadow. Somehow, she knew that she would take care of her. That girl always took care of her, didn't she? She was supposed to be there with her. She was always there, wasn't she?

"Awa!" she cried louder only to have the echo of her own weak voice answer her.

Kairi crawled off the coverless mattress she slept upon and cruelly stumbled onto the grainy floor. The rough floor scrapped the palms of her hands and pulled at the skin of her knees as she plummeted further into the blackness. The pain caused her to wail in defeat and curl into a ball on the chilled, gritty floor.

_"Kairi?"_

The redhead peered over her shoulder and saw a metal man who had apparently entered her room. How long had she been lying there? When did he enter the room?

Unhurriedly, he removed his helmet and knelt down beside her.

Kairi's weary eyes adjusted to the darkness around her and she could see that his hair was chocolate-brown and his eyes were a smoldering royal blue. Did she know him? Should she know him? Had she met him before? Maybe she had…

"Awa?" she asked childishly in between sobs and he blanched.

"Um, n-no. I'm Terra. Remember?" he said, his tone perplexed as he tried to pull her off the coarse floor.

"Terra…? Y-Yes, I-I think I remember now." Kairi sniffled and wiped her abundant tears with the grimy sleeve of her black garment.

Wait, why was she so upset? Why was she crying for someone from a dream? Wasn't that a dream? Was that what that was? Suddenly, she could no longer remember.

"I think you were having a nightmare," Terra stated and helped her sit upright.

After she was sitting up, she instinctively used his frame to support her weight even though he tensed and made a very uncomfortable prop. He was unwelcoming, rigid, and his metal body was gelid but she honestly didn't feel like she could sit up on her own.

"Terra? Who is Awa?" Kairi whimpered and looked up at him with forlorn eyes.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he replied curtly, his tone suddenly gruff and cold.

"But I… Why was I crying for her? I-I think I dreamed about her… I-I don't remember. Do I dream? Am I supposed to dream?" Kairi held her throbbing, butchered head in her hands.

The longer she was awake, the more confused she became or was she becoming more lucid? The fragments of the memories, the bits of the dream, and her desperation made less and less sense. They began to completely fade and she slowly began to remember where she was and why. She was sick and she was placed in a prison so she could be protected and hidden away from those who wanted to hurt her, and maybe something about a White Witch and some bad people looking for her?

_Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s right…_  

Terra awkwardly rubbed her shoulders in a pitiful attempt to comfort her and looked in the opposite direction.

"Don't worry about it. Try not to think too much, " he replied softly and lifted her to her uncoordinated, bare feet, "Here, let's get you back in bed. It's late. You should try to get back to sleep."

"What if I dream? I-I don't think I’m supposed to… The… The Masters get angry if I dream…" Kairi explained fearfully and lied back down on her dingy mat.

"I won't tell anyone if you do. It can be our little secret," Terra assured her as he removed the shadowy cape from his shoulders and placed it over Kairi's curled form.

"Ice flowers…" Kairi began to doze off. "S-She made ice flowers for me…"

"Yeah, that sounds like something she would do…" Kairi heard Terra answer but she wasn't sure if she had imagined it or if he’d actually said it.

* * *

"Kairi?" Aqua muttered, her eyes slowly opening. "Kairi!?"

"Aqua," Ventus mumbled languidly from his sleeping position in the floor. "Kairi isn't here. You’re having another nightmare."

"No… No she was crying for me I heard her…" Aqua insisted, aggressively shaking her head.

"I didn't hear anything," Naminé yawned and curled into a tighter ball in the bed she shared with Aqua and Xion.

"Oh," Aqua groaned and rubbed her forehead, gradually regaining the ability to think clearly.

"She… She was calling me Awa. I haven't thought about her calling me Awa in forever…" Aqua wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "When she was little, she couldn't say Aqua so she always called me Awa instead," she continued and wiped the lone tear that managed to escape from one her eyes.

Ventus got off his pallet on the floor and sat on the bed next to her. "We are going to find her, Aqua."

Aqua's hand instinctively wrapped around his torso and she buried her face in his chest.

"I miss her so much." She fought the sobs that threatened to burst from her throat. "She has always been there. I always had Kairi. Before we had Master Eraqus, for the longest time, all we had was each other. After we lost our family, I promised I would never let anything happen to her, and now look what’s happened. It’s all my fault. I wasn't strong enough to protect her. I couldn't even protect myself."

"You have to stop blaming yourself.”

"I can't. I will blame myself until I can redeem myself by saving her.”

Aqua looked through the hole in the ceiling and saw the pale orange light of morning trying to banish the blackened rain clouds that always surrounded ZoZo away. It was still very early but she knew she would never be able to get back to sleep now. Her mind was too turbulent.

"Go back to sleep, Ven. I'm going to take a walk.”

Ventus nodded. "Be careful and don't go too far. We’ll leave to see Mona soon."

Aqua stood and carefully stepped over Riku's sleeping place on the floor. He was flat on his stomach with the covers over his silver head. She sighed. Terra always slept on his stomach…

" _Terra, wake up." Aqua pushed at Terra's bare, broad shoulders. "I can't sleep."_

_The young man groaned and slammed his pillow over his head. "You're pushing it, Blue."_

_She shifted uncomfortably on his bed and watched him lie on his stomach and try to go back to sleep. He was such a heavy sleeper she started to wonder if she had really woken him up at all._

" _Terra, it’s too cold for me to sleep. I’m freezing to death in that room by myself…" Aqua rubbed her painfully frigid shoulders and watched the ghostly snow falling outside his balcony doors._

" _And what are you wanting me to do about it?" he grumbled sluggishly, holding his position on the rigid plains of his stomach._

" _Can I crash here tonight?" Aqua asked, pulling the pillow off of his head._

" _Why didn't you just ask me to stay with you when I took you back to your room? Why do you insist on coming here in the middle of the night and waking me up? It would be_ **so** _much easier if you would just say, 'Hey, Terra, it’s cold as fuck outside and the magic suppressant is wearing off. Do you think you could stay here tonight?' The knight watched her with one smoldering eye and she was instantly reminded of the one-eyed look he gave her in Amur when she busted his helmet…_

_Aqua huffed and threw his pillow at him. "Forget it."_

_The Child of light got off his bed and stormed to his door._

_A snarl exploded from the knight's throat as he threw back his covers and chased after her._

_Ignoring his grousing, Aqua opened the door only to have it be violently slammed shut._

" _Stop it," she spat, glaring up at him as she fought to reopen the door._

_Terra bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the lush carpet and hauling her back to his bed._

" _Let me go!" Aqua shouted and bludgeoned his shoulders viciously as his hold shifted to the back of her thighs, forcing her legs to wrap around his powerful middle._

" _No. There is no fucking way that you’re going to bust_   _into_ **my**   _room, wake **me**  up, ask to stay in  **my**  bed, and just leave. You aren't going anywhere now," he growled into her frigid neck as he carried her back to his bed._

_His breath felt like an inferno on her skin. The warmth started at her neck and spread through her body like wildfire and she instantly remembered why she came to his room in the first place._

_She blushed as her bare thighs caressed his hips and her legs dangled behind him. Her slip was shifted over her lower body and had rolled over her stomach, causing them to have a very provocative interaction on the way back to his bed._

_Recklessly, Terra recklessly tossed her onto the bed._

_Aqua's blush intensified. She tried to push her slip back down over her exposed undergarments before he could get a good look at her._

_To her surprise, he silently yet chivalrously helped her fix her garment as if it wasn't embarrassing or salacious at all. Once she was decent again, he gently lowered himself on top of her, giving her the body heat she sought._

" _Now, you’re going to be a good girl and stay with me." The Dark Knight gave her a charming and contemptuous smile._

_Aqua sighed dejectedly and accepted defeat. Technically, she was getting her way so she couldn't complain. It hadn't worked out like she had initially planned but she was still getting the body heat she desperately needed._

_Terra yawned as he laid his head on her chest and firmly wrapped his warm arms around her waist._

_When she relaxed, he instinctively melded onto her and her hands automatically delved into his hair._

The unwanted memories were too much. She shook her head and dashed room out of the room as if running would keep the accidental reminiscence from following her.

Unintentionally, Aqua wandered into the vacant lobby of the boarding house. The abandoned lodge's furniture was covered in ghostly sheets and dust as water dripped from the leaking roof.

Not wanting to roam anymore, the Keyblade wielder sat upon the steps that led back to the building's rooms.

She would have to go see Mona once the others got up and she was dreading it. Aqua understood the significance and importance of going to see the seeress but she would much rather just go to Doma so she could find out where Kairi was faster. And once she did that, she planned to either save her or die trying.

Aqua's dreams had been about Kairi lately. Her dreams were usually nightmares about Terra or Hollow Bastion, but lately, her dreams were memories. She would dream about the Purge that killed her parents, their time spent in between homes, and even some about their time with Master Eraqus. The dreams were unpleasant and stirred memories that were better left forgotten or memories that only caused her already intense, unbearable guilt to swell further.

Hopefully, the meeting with the seeress wouldn't take long so she would get to Kairi quicker. Every second was critical for all of them. Light knows what was happening to Kairi or how close Aqua's small party was getting to being captured themselves. Deling was proof of that. The Dark Rule and their puppets were always closer than she ever wanted to admit.

Aqua reached into her pouch and pulled out her Wayfinder. She examined the good luck charm as if it could give her answers, as if it could somehow tell her what to do, or give her encouragement.

" _Nana!" Aqua cried and ran into her small home with Kairi's small wrist in hand._

" _Mama!" she called and peered into her parent's empty bedroom. "Dad?!"_

_The younger sibling started coughing from the smoke that began filling their home and their lungs._

" _Cover your mouth, Kairi," Aqua knelt in front of her three-year old sister and helped her bring her blouse's collar over her mouth._

_She had to stay calm for her younger sister's sake, but she was terrified. She had looked everywhere but she couldn't find her parents or her grandmother. All she could find was fire, smoke, and unfriendly men coated in coal-black armor._

_The ironclad men ignored the children but they shoved women into cages like animals and grappled with the men that tried to defend them. The defeated men from their village were hanging lifelessly from tree branches like macabre fruit, ropes wrapped firmly around their blue throats. Some still wriggled, their legs kicking, their eyes bulging, and their feet hopelessly reaching for the redeeming ground they would never find._

_The seven-year-old girl with blue hair cringed as she watched the men fight for their breath and squirm next to their dead brethren. They clawed at the rope around their necks until they eerily and slowly stilled as death's unforgiving grip tightened on them._

_Aqua didn’t want to look, but she was forced to examine each man's face to ensure that none of them were her father. However, she held Kairi securely behind her so that she wouldn't see the men that were morbidly suspended from the trees._

" _We’re going to play a game, Kairi," the older child announced shakily as she spun around to speak to her baby sister._ " _Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to."_

" _How do we know who wins?" the younger girl inquired, still trying to shield her bouquet of frozen flowers from the debris and orange ash that lazily fell from the sky like abnormal precipitation._

" _If you can keep your eyes closed until I say it is time to open them, you win but if you open them before, you lose.”_

_Kairi shrugged and complied._

_Once her eyes were closed, Aqua began pulling them through their burning village again. She weaved them in and out of the swarms of knights and other strange men that had invaded their home. The knights she saw weren't anything like the ones from the stories her Nana and mother read to her. They were dark, scary, and really mean. They towered to the sky like indestructible colossuses, their bodies hard, black, cold, and broad, each one inhumanly large and muscular._

_Through the myriad of people and intruders Aqua was finally able to locate her father._

" _Dad!" she screamed. "Daddy!"_

_The blue girl held Kairi's hand and lugged her though the crowd behind her as she ran them to their father. "You can open your eyes now, Kairi."_

" _Aqua?" Their father responded in disbelief and bewilderment and ran to the duo._

" _What’re you two doing here? Why aren't you with your mother and Nana?" He fell to his knees before them._

" _What’re you talking about? T-They never came to get us…" Aqua answered timidly as her father drug them into a nearby alleyway away from the chaos unfolding around them._

_Her father went deathly pale. Although she was only seven years old, she still somehow knew what his reaction meant. They were gone… The bad men took them away…_

_Tears filled Aqua's eyes. "Are…? Are they?"_

_Her father didn't answer but he embraced both of them._

" _Aqua, I need you to go back to the woods with Kairi. Find a place to hide and I’ll come to find you when it’s safe. Do you understand?" he commanded sternly, holding Aqua's shoulders, eyes identical to hers staring strictly at her._

_Shakily, Aqua nodded._

" _Kairi," He held Kairi's cherub face in his large hands, "You’re going to go with Aqua for a little while. Do what she says and be a good girl, okay? She’ll take care of you."_

_Too young and too unsuspecting to understand the gravity of the situation, she bobbed her head and smiled._

" _Don't be sad, Daddy," the redhead said cheerfully and wiped his subtle, ash-filled tears away. "We won't be gone long. You’re coming to find us remember?"_

_He grinned but his eyes were distant and sad. Before he could say anything else, one of the men in black armor discovered them. The blackened man with no face and a body of darkness drew his massive, barbed sword from his back._

_Kairi screamed and Aqua hid behind her father's leg. Instinctively, he blasted the steel-plated monster with Firaga, causing the armored beast to reel and roar in frustration._

" _Aqua, take Kairi and run as fast as you can!"_

_More ebony knights surrounded them while their father warded the ironclad demons off with Thundaga._

" _Run!" he scolded and Aqua ran with Kairi through the hole her father's magic had created for them._

_Once they were halfway through the knights, Aqua hesitated and looked back at Father._

" _Don't look back!" he bellowed._

_Aqua laced her fingers with Kairi's and they reluctantly ran through their dying, burning home. Kairi repeatedly tripped and struggled to keep up with the older girl's quicker, more coordinated pace but somehow managed to not fall behind._

" _Don't look back!" Aqua heard her father's distant voice once more over the sound of thunderous, clanking armor, screams, crackling of flames, her own heartbeat, and Kairi's shallow pants._

_They retreated into the woods and hurriedly climbed a large oak tree. Aqua wanted to climb as far as she could but she knew Kairi wouldn't be able to climb that high so she had to stop. She had to think about her sister as well. She couldn’t be selfish._

_The blue girl scrambled to the widest branch and nestled against the tree trunk. After she was situated, she helped an exhausted Kairi onto the branch. Automatically, Kairi crawled into Aqua's lap and nestled into her sister's chest while still holding onto her bouquet of frozen flora._

_They waited in the tree for hours. Eventually, Kairi fell asleep in Aqua's arms, the icy flowers slipping out of her drowsy grip, plummeting to the ground where they shattered like glass._

_While Kairi slept, Aqua was forced to listen to the screams, wails, and screeches of her people gradually fade in the distance until it grew eerily quiet. The cries of pain and anguish withered away, and the crackling of blazes dwindled into subtle hisses of angry embers._

_The horrific sounds faded but their father didn’t come as he said he would. The moon rose and fell but their father didn’t come. The sun ascended to the smoky, smog-filled sky but their father didn’t come. The knights that had followed them into the woods wandered around the tree trunk and crushed the frozen remnants of Kairi's flowers under their steel-plated feet but their father didn’t come. Aqua and Kairi looked for him persistently, but he never came._

Aqua could vaguely remember her last moments with her father but she couldn't remember her last moments with her mother or her grandmother. Had she been kind to them? Had she been difficult? What had they done together? What had they talked about? She couldn't remember.

Thanks to time, the memories Aqua had managed to hold onto were faded and inconsistent. Unfortunately, the Purge remained the most vivid. No matter how hard she tried, there were moments from that day she couldn't ever forget. Some of the memories from that day were as crystal clear as if they had happened to her just yesterday, but somehow, she couldn't exactly remember what her parents looked like… She was ashamed to admit it, but it was the truth.

Aqua was pretty sure her mother had blue hair like hers but it was much darker and maybe her mother's eyes were as blue as Kairi's. Her father had her eyes were identical to her own and she thought his hair was short and so wine red it was almost brown.

Her eyes squeezed shut and she clasped her Wayfinder as she tried to revive her hazy memories of her parents. She didn't have much to hold onto but what she had she desperately fought to retain them for herself, Kairi, and maybe her own, future children.

_Children...? That’s funny, Aqua. You might not even live to see tomorrow; much less live to have children. Even if you did, you shouldn't be cruel enough to bring them into this world of mayhem, pandemonium, and turmoil. You should never wish your life on anyone's children and definitely not your own._

"You ready to go see Mona?" Ven asked cheerfully and took a seat on the carpeted step next to Aqua.

_Are they getting up already? How long have I been sitting here? I guess I zoned out…_

"As ready as I am going to be," she scoffed and put her Wayfinder back in her pocket.

"She isn't that bad, I promise.”

"That’s easy for you to say. You haven't met her  _protégé_. They can do abominable, inhuman things with their minds."

"Like…what?" Ven asked hesitantly. He was pretty sure he didn't want to know but he asked anyway.

"The oldest, Marluxia, he can read your thoughts and memories without laying a hand on you. You feel something slicing through your skull and if you fight it, it feels like a scythe is slowly piercing into the back of your head. He does something to your perception as he does it. You lose yourself in your own head and all you can see is roses, " Aqua explained and she swore she could almost feel the horrendous sensation as she spoke of it.

"The girl, Larxene, she can project into your mind by touching you. She can force visions into your head. You can see what she has seen but it is agony to do so. It feels like she is electrocuting you from the inside out.”

Ventus shifted uncomfortably on the step.

"And finally the youngest, Zexion, he is quiet, introverted, and probably the most  _pleasant_ even though he toys with your head and plays mind games with you that make you question everything you thought to be true every chance he gets.His powers aren't like theirs but he is every bit as powerful. He retrieves visions continuously and conveys them in a massive book. His visions are the most accurate. It’s like he can predict things right before actually they happen. If someone comes to his door, they don't have to knock. He sees them coming." Aqua shuttered at the memory.

"Mona is kind of like that. I'm not going to lie. She can  _sense_  things and she did this weird thing where she sampled Riku's memories by touching him. She’s kind of creepy, but I really think she means well. She was just put into a horrible situation that did things to her," Ven replied solemnly, watching raindrops seep through the decaying ceiling and drip into nearby puddles.

"Ready?" Riku walked down the soggy stairs with Naminé and Xion following close behind.

"Ven told me the seeress sampled your memories through somatic touch. Did it hurt?" Aqua turned on the step to look the Keyblade Master.

"No, it didn't hurt. I mean, I could _feel_  it but it didn't hurt. Why?" he responded as he wrapped his blindfold over his distinct eyes.

"The current Seer Sages that can take memories and thoughts cause physical pain when they do so, and I assumed that she probably did too…"

"No, I wouldn't say what she did hurt. I could feel her in my head but she only took what I offered. She told me to think about what I wanted her to see and I assume that’s all she took. She said the privacy of my of my mind wouldn't be violated." Riku shrugged.

"That doesn't sound like the Seer Sages at all. They just take whatever they want. They  _never_ asked if I wanted to keep certain thoughts to myself. The privacy of my mind was definitely violated." Aqua stood and wiped the dust off her bottom and the back of her thighs.

"I really don't think she is like them…" Xion said softly as the small group began exiting the boarding house and entered the rainy city.

Aqua sighed. "I guess I am going to find out…"

* * *

Rain pelted the party and thunder crashed in the distance as they made their way across the ruined, decomposing city. Prostitutes tried to tempt the boys, Aqua, and even Xion. Naminé was only spared because of her age. The blonde girl clearly wasn't old enough to respect and appreciate a ‘ _good time.’_

Rugged, hairy beggars pleaded for food and munny to buy liquor or to gamble away. Shifty, shady traffickers of various substances tried to lure them into unethical deals and trades. Even madams and brothel-keepers approached the young women and offered them employment and dubious careers.

Eventually, the group entered the murky Inn where Mona took residence.

"You know, it isn't too late to turn back," Aqua teased and laughed nervously when the others scowled at her.

"Fine. I'm going. I'm going," she grumbled and followed the others up the stairs.

With unenthusiastic feet, Aqua climbed the limitless, reddish-brown stairways. She lagged behind her friends and purposely traveled at a delayed pace.

Why was she going to see a seeress? Why was she going to see this undoubtedly unpleasant hag?

_Kairi. You’re doing it for Kairi,_ she reminded herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to steady herself and her confidence.

Eventually, they reached the final, upper tier. It looked like they were heading into an isolated attic and Aqua was getting anxious. Not afraid just…anxious.

They climbed the creaking stairway and Ventus looked back at Aqua for permission to knock on the door at the top of the creaky stairs.

_Of course the harpy isolates herself in the highest cloister. It is like she has quarantined herself._

"Knock yourself out," Aqua huffed sarcastically and crossed her arms.

_"Come in.”_

Aqua bristled at the sound of the smooth, creamy voice that reverberated off the other side of the door.

_So much for knocking…_

Ven opened the door and they entered, but Aqua dawdled so she could keep her distance.

"Welcome back," Mona greeted before they completely entered the room.

Aqua instantly saw the resemblance between the former Seer Sage and the current sages. Zexion had the same kind of eerie greeting and the woman's velvety tone almost reminded her a bit of Larxene and Marluxia. This woman had clearly tutored them, influenced them even. She disliked her already.

"So you actually managed to save her?" The blind woman chuckled in disbelief from her place inside her emerald chair with gold trim. "Oh, how I would have loved to have seen the look on their faces when they realized she was gone!"

Aqua stood indifferently behind Riku and Ventus, mute. She knew she was brought here to speak to this woman. She was supposedly a kindred spirit but Aqua wanted nothing to do with a Seer Sage ever again.

"Thank you for all of your help. We never would’ve found her without your help.” Ventus offered a tiny, half-smile.

"Do not mention it." The seeress smirked. "I was happy to help. I love to stick it to the Overlords any way that I can."

Mona shifted in her seat and leaned toward the small group. "How are you, child?"

Sightless eyes couldn’t wander to the girl she was addressing but everyone knew she was speaking to Aqua directly.

"Fine," Aqua snapped curtly and coldly, causing Mona to laugh.

"Cold to the bone this one is! Full of spite and diamond dust." The seeress gave another dark cackle.

The Keyblade wielder glared at the woman, keeping her icy disposition.

"Black ice. No wonder they wanted you. You would have made a wonderful tool if your radiant spirit could have been broken, but clearly that was not possible," Mona continued when Aqua proceeded to give the woman both a literal and figurative cold shoulder.

"Leave us," Mona commanded and waved her regal hands, motioning for the excess to depart.

"Will you be okay?" Riku whispered.

Aqua nodded, her lips twitching in an almost smile of assurance.

"We’ll be right outside if you need us," Naminé added.

With that, they left the room and shut the door behind them.

"I figured it would be easier for you to speak to me if your friends were not present," the seeress explained sincerely and shakily rose to her feet.

Aqua's brow furrowed. Apparently, Mona wasn’t what Terra had called  _natural_  seer. Aqua remembered him explaining the difference. He had explained that natural seers were those _born_ with the ability to obtain visions and other unusual abilities while unnatural seers were those that had specific magical properties and powers that were strong enough to allow them to peer into the future if they tried hard enough (and had some experimental help) but they didn’t receive visions naturally. They had to put more effort to peer into the future or into someone's mind. Unnatural seers often went blind and had other physical side effects from the unnatural strain on their body. Natural seers also have the risk of going blind and harming themselves physically but the strain is not as intense or as rapid. Both kinds of seers had the potential to go beyond their means and abilities but natural seers could push themselves much farther before side effects manifested.

"Sit," the gray-haired woman instructed and pointed to the chair she had been sitting in, her rippling ebony skirt swirling around her legs as she staggered.

She wasn’t elderly but she moved as if she was. Her hip length hair was white and gray but Aqua could tell she wasn't any older than some of the current Elders at Court, but the years of being forced into being a Seer Sage had clearly taken their toll.

Watching Mona stagger and move like a decrepit old woman made Aqua feel guilty for judging her so harshly. Seeing what the Dark Rule had done to her made her realize that Ven and the others were right, Mona wasn't that different from her. The seeress was just as much a victim as she was. She had suffered just as much as she had if not more, the only difference was that Mona didn't have friends or family that came to save her before she broke.

If it wasn't for Ven and the others, Aqua would still be in Tarnen Palace with Terra and she would be an obedient Black Mage. Her suffering would only be beginning. Aqua had only been in the Dark Capital for a year but Mona was there for much longer and when she finally able to leave, she was blind, crippled, and permanently marred in unfathomable ways. Aqua couldn't imagine staying in that place for one more day, much less living as a servant for decades…

"No. I'm okay." The blue-haired girl timidly walked across the bizarre pink, purple, and blue flooring to the seeress' side of the room.

"Suit yourself." The blind woman shrugged and plummeted clumsily into her sturdy chair that sat in the darkest corner of the room.

"Who was your guardian?" Mona finally spoke again, regally placing her elegant hands in her blackened lap.

Aqua's heart faltered. "T-Terra."

"You were fortunate.”

"Fortunate would have been if I had received Roxas as a guardian," she responded bitterly and took a seat on the massive bed with cadmium yellow covers.

Aqua tucked one ankle behind the other and placed her hands in her lap and instantly groaned in frustration with herself. She quickly removed her queenly posture, crossed her legs, and purposely slouched instead. She was still struggling to remove the unwanted Dark Realm elegance she had obtained inside Tarnen.

"That will go away. You were not there long. Your former tendencies will eventually return. It’s not too late for you as it was for me. Your damage is not irreversible," Mona said with a sincere smile, causing Aqua's guilt to twist in her stomach like a sharp knife. "As for Roxas…he came along after I was banished so I do not know him, but I do know that you were fortunate to not receive Vanitas as a guardian. However, I’m sure you still had to deal with his brutality, especially if Terra was your guardian. Vanitas always liked to break Terra's toys.”

"I can see that." Aqua almost giggled.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Mona asked, her tone almost somber.

The Child of Light sighed and held her head down. "Nothing fatal."

"I figured as much," the white-haired woman sighed in disappointment.

"My friends told me you raised the Seer Sages, so how do you know about Terra and Vanitas?" Aqua asked.

"I didn't actually _raise_  the Seer Sages. I would say that I instructed them more than I  _raised_ them, Larxene in particular. She was my successor but I also trained Zexion a bit before I was banished. Marluxia was a bit older when I arrived and most of his abilities were already developed, so I didn't train him much.  But I was also required to provide the knight's some nurturing and a kind of mother figure before they were put through the brutalization process. The Overlords liked to use me as a kind of babysitter or nanny for their future prospects when there weren't forcing me to delve into the tome of time."

"Do you want to see them?" Aqua asked genuinely.

Mona glanced in the direction of Aqua's kind, gentle voice. "You do not have to do that for me. I understand that dealing with a seer is the last thing you want. I know that the children I nurtured in their early years surely mistreated you…"

Aqua could see her pain and she could almost relate to it. Mona loved those children, despite everything, despite what she said, despite what she knew they would become, despite the cruel fate that awaited them.

"Riku said that you can sample people's memories through touch. Kind of like Larxene?" Aqua knelt at the seeress's feet.

"Larxene's touch became corrupt as she aged. Her touch is no longer like mine. I mentored her but the Overlords and Elders raised and influenced her. They made sure of that despite my best efforts to shelter her. As a result, her abilities transformed into something different. They became forceful, violent, and unpleasant. I taught her how to use her amazing powers but the Overlords taught her how to abuse them." Mona shook her head.

Aqua fearlessly took her hand in hers. "I trust you. I can tell that your intentions are pure. Plus…it will be easier for me to communicate this way… I… I still have trouble talking about it.”

Mona place her other withered yet soft hand over her own. "I understand. I was so afraid of talking about my time there that I never left… I didn't think anyone could ever understand except--" she hesitated and held her head in the other direction.

"I know. I feel… I _felt_  like Terra was the only person who could ever understand or accept me after everything…”

"That’s what they wanted, but you are stronger than I was and you have friends that love you dearly. You are very lucky.”

Aqua nodded. "So…what do I need to do? Do you just take them or—"

"Just think of what you want to show me. I will only see what you put forward. The sanctity of your mind will not be desecrated. I promise.”

Timidly, Aqua closed her eyes and began thinking of Terra.

Almost instantly, she could feel Mona in her head but it wasn't unpleasant or painful, she could just  _feel_ her. It was like a gentle caress inside her skull. After the unease she felt from connecting with a seer left, Aqua showed Mona Vanitas, Axel, Saïx, Zexion, Marluxia, and even Larxene. Then, she submitted Terra's moments of kindness to the seer to show her that he wasn't all bad, but before she could stop herself she showed Mona Terra and her holding hands, kissing, and him healing her back.

"I'm sorry!" Aqua snatched her hand away. She was so grateful Mona was blind and couldn't see the fierce blush on her face.

"The mind is an unusual thing." Mona smiled. "One memory can lead to another and sometimes, it is hard to control the flow of them once the recollection begins. Do not be ashamed, child. I have felt that torment.”

Aqua's brow inclined.

"Luxord was my guardian and we had a similar relationship. He was assigned to look after me, guide me, and ultimately, break me just as I assume Terra was assigned to break you. I have felt your confliction. The confusion between what you should feel and what you do feel.”

"Did… Did you love him?" Aqua shyly asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I did on some strange level, but in the end, it was not meant to be," Mona said softly and leaned back into her chair.

Aqua could see the woman's pain again. Mona's eyes were sightless and lamented but Aqua could still see her suffering in them. The dull eyes were unseeing but still very expressive.

"Would you like to see him?" the blue-haired girl offered meekly.

Mona's bloodless eyes widened before they closed. "I-I don't know. It has been so long."

"I understand. I just wanted to offer.”

"…May I?" Mona asked gently after a moment of hesitation and reached out for Aqua's hand.

"Of course.” The young woman gripped Mona's shockingly soft hand.

Her eyes closed and Aqua began recalling her lessons and brief time with Luxord.

"He hasn't changed much," Mona whispered after a few moments of strained silence. "But the wedding band is new…"

Aqua's heart ached for Mona. She connected with her more than she ever anticipated. They had more in common than she thought they would. Just being with her, just  _being_  with someone who had gone through the same thing made her feel a lot better. It made her feel like she wasn't so alone and that there was finally someone who would might actually understand...

"I suppose he finally wed some beautiful Dark Realm woman like he was supposed to." The seeress sighed.

Aqua's eyes fell uncomfortably to the floor. Mona wasn't jealous. She was just hurt, maybe a touch disappointed. She wasn't surprised but it still grieved her. Aqua instantly began to wonder if Mona had wanted Luxord to leave with her after her banishment. Had he refused her? She wanted to know but she didn't dare ask.

Aqua also began to wonder if she would be jealous if she learned of Terra gaining a new lover or life partner. Would she be jealous or would she be hurt like Mona was to learn of Luxord gaining a spouse after her? Why was she thinking she would care at all?

_Why would I be upset if he got a mate? If anything, I should be grateful that it isn't me._

"Do you miss him?"

"Terra?" Aqua reeled and realized Mona was still inside her head when she had been thinking about all of that. The seer's touch was so gentle and light she had forgotten she was still in the front of her mind with her. Perhaps it was because she was unnatural and not as powerful as the seers she knew.

Mona nodded.

"I don't want to talk about that," she snapped and wretched her hand away from Mona's.

"He hurt you. And by hurt, I do not mean your wrists," the seeress said kindly and took hold of Aqua's concealed scars, running her thumbs gingerly over the protective covering she wore over her stigmas.

"Your reverie screams to me without your consent. A traumatized mind runs rampant and the subconscious shrieks in distress. It tells me that you are bitter, hurt, and angry," Mona explained quietly. “Remember, child, your scars only show where you have been. They do not dictate where you are going, and where you are going is why you are here. You didn't come here just to talk to me about your time as a rehabilitation subject,"

"I want to find my sister and we don't think we can do that without your help. We plan on going to Doma and conversing with the former knights there but I don't think I will ever get there. The Seer Sages will see me and stop me just as they did before.

The seeress took a deep breath. "We should bring the others in."

Aqua nodded.

"You may reenter now!" Mona called.

After a moment, the small group quickly entered the room. When the seer heard everyone enter the room, she pointed to her bed.

"Sit," she commanded sternly.

"Aqua and Riku probably know from experience that the seers are not ones to be trifled with but remember they  _are_  human," Mona began as they began sitting on the bed and on the floor around her.

"The Seer Sages can obtain two types of visions.” Mona wriggled two of her fingers. “Strained visions and pure visions. Pure visions are visions they receive without trying and these visions always come to pass, but strained visions are completely different. Strained visions are visions they pry from the future and those visions are _not_ inevitable."

"I had lessons with them more than once and they never mentioned any of that to me," Aqua countered.

"No. They wouldn't mention this because it is where their  _weakness_ lies. It is one of the Dark Rule's best-kept secrets. Just as Dark Knights are perceived as invincible, Seer Sages are to be perceived as all knowing. It was part of our image." Mona scoffed. "The point is, strained visions are ever-changing and they are not accurate predictors like pure visions are. I was not a natural seer so _all_ of my visions were strained. Light did not bless me with the ability to receive pure visions so I was forced to receive infinite amounts of strained visions for my Lords, which is why I am blind. Strained visions challenge the cosmos and take a cruel toll on the body.”

"So strained visions could affect even Larxene and Marluxia?" Aqua inquired a bit too eagerly.

"Yes. They are natural seers but it does not matter. Strained visions are still visions that are uncertain and cause great physical and mental strain after a while if they go beyond their means. They have their limits and once they reach them, going beyond them will put too much strain on their sixth sense. Eventually, their bodies, and sometimes, even their minds," Mona confirmed.

"The point I am trying to make in all of this is that strained visions _are_  avoidable. They can only obtain _potential_ futures even if they are tracking you. The accuracy of strained visions comes from them combining their visions and going through a very tedious process of elimination. Then, they report to the Court and the Court takes action to prevent certain futures and ensure others. Dark Knights and Purges are also deployed to deal with certain futures before they can occur or to ensure that they will come to pass.”

"So the Seer Sages give the Overlords the potential futures they’ve seen in these strained visions then they do whatever it takes to keep some from happening and to make others happen?" Xion asked.

Mona nodded. "That was all I did during my years inside those walls. I was coerced into tracking pivotal people and significant situations. I peered into the future until it caused me physical pain to do so, and once I completely lost my sight and Larxene surpassed me, I was banished, but I am telling you all of this to give you some hope, not to discourage you. A pure vision will be your inescapable demise, but a strained vision could be your salvation. Strained visions are only possibilities and none of them are certain. There are a vast multitude of them because there are many different alternatives. The time to come changes constantly as choices and decisions are made and as events unfold.”

"So you're saying we can use that to our advantage?" Riku took a step toward the former Seer Sage.

"Possibly, but the Seer Sages are trained to deal with the overwhelming possibilities. They pick and choose who and what they track so they won't be overthrown by the hoards of visions. Unfortunately, there is a huge target on each of your backs and they may have already figured out where you are headed. They may have already picked out your most likely coarse of action," Mona replied with brutal honesty.

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Aqua shouted in vexation, rising to her feet.

"I would recommend being indecisive. Think of other alternatives even if your mind is made up. This could give the seers other potential futures that they will have to sort through in order to find the most accurate prospect. I suggest that each of you think of other ideas and alternatives. They might affect the tome of time and send more visions to the seers. It could give them more to deal with and might prolong their arduous process of elimination. This could buy you some time but if they receive or have received a pure vision, providing them more strained visions will no longer make any difference for they will no longer heed them.”

Silence smothered the room as everything that had been said settled.

"I know this isn’t much but it’s all I have to offer and maybe it will buy you enough time so that you can save your sister," the seer stated sincerely.

"Thank you so much. For everything." Aqua walked to Mona and offered her, her hand.

"And remember, the future is a fickle and very fragile thing. There is a sensitive dependency on initial conditions," the seeress squeezed Aqua’s hand firmly,

"A catastrophic monsoon forming in the future can depend on whether or not a butterfly has flapped its wings in the past. However, in this case, maybe it can depend on the wings of a bluebird." Mona smirked ominously and Aqua's eyes widened.

* * *

The sharp sound of crinkling paper filled the murky cell as Kairi sat in the floor making yet another blue flower.

Lately, all her paper flowers had been blue to mimic the ice flowers Blue had made for her in her dream. The redhead made things from her memories but she no longer had any recollection of the dream she had about her sister. It was gone, wiped away and swept under the rug.

Terra was supposed to be questioning Kairi but he wasn't in the mood to feed an innocent girl lies again. Instead, he read through her journals and propped himself up against one of moldy walls of her cell. Kairi couldn't remember how to read or write so Roxas had to do the journal entries for her.

Irritated grumbling and the sound of jingling keys resonated outside chamber's metal door.

_"Damn it all!"_ a crackly voice howled as the sound of keys being dropped reverberated throughout the prison.

Terra chuckled causing Kairi to observe him and smile. She had never heard his laugh before and it was almost infectious. She kind of liked it.

The Dark Knight  _could_  be nice and just open the door for the poor soul but he figured he knew who the visitor was so he chose against it.

Eventually, the keys were clumsily placed into the stubborn lock and an odd man in a lab coat was finally able to enter Kairi's cubicle. His ghastly lab coat dragged to the ground as he lurched across the cell. His frizzy white hair spurted off his concave, angular face and a beard much like the frizzed mop on his head jutted off the bottom of his pointed chin. His posture was very poor and his vision even poorer. Glasses that were as thick as goggles, rested upon his long, crooked, pointed nose, and his snout hung over his puckered mouth of gaping fangs. His bony claws clung to a white duffel bag that Terra assumed was a medical kit.

"You could have helped me, you big oaf!" Dr. Lugae pointed a skeletal finger at Terra.

"Yeah. I could have," the knigh sneered, his smoldering eyes leaving Kairi's journal to arrogantly survey the quack.

"You always were a bastard, Terra," Lugae hissed. "I see time has done nothing for your manners."

"It hasn't done much for yours either," Terra countered as the doctor bowed over and began playing around in his medical bag.

Dr. Lugae pulled out several needles that were as long as Terra's arms, vials filled with pungent, green fluid, and containers full of blood-red liquid.

"You're overdue for your annual Darkness injection." Lugae began filling the monstrous needle with thick fluid that looked similar to the substance given to Blue, but it was much darker and thicker and apparently, required a bigger needle.

"I checked your file. It has been over a year since you had your last treatment." The doctor thumped the filled needle's oozing tip with his lean claw.

"I know. I’ve been busy. I haven't gotten around to it yet." Terra shrugged and continued reading Kairi's journal.

"That's no excuse. You aren't the only knight in service. You're not even  _Mr. Captain_  anymore so there are others who are much busier than you and they have  _all_  had their yearly treatment.”

"I'll get Vexen to take care of it, alright?" Terra pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I can do it here. Darkness knows when you’ll see Vexen again," Lugae offered fervently, practically shaking with joy and anticipation.

"I said, I’ll get Vexen to take care of it," Terra repeated firmly, glaring at Kairi's journal in a pathetic attempt to keep his boiling temper in check.

The Dark Knight wasn't about to let Lugae work on him. He had no desire to end up like Vanitas and Kairi. He would rather Professor Hojo do it than Lugae. Vexen was ideal but _anyone_ was better than Lugae.

Dr. Lugae grumbled gibberish under his breath and wobbled toward Kairi. "Time for your medicine," he croaked.

"Is this really necessary?" Terra asked.

"Yes. Every time she remembers something she shouldn't, we must administer the proper medication to cleanse her mind again," Dr. Lugae mumbled in annoyance, obviously tired of the treatments and wrestling with Kairi's persistent memories.

_Medication,_ Terra huffed inwardly

The stories they had been feeding Kairi were outrageous and childish but they matched her current, adjusted demeanor. Child like ideas for a child like mind; they had convinced her that Blue was some kind of evil White Witch that had put some form of curse on her and that was why she was living in a prison and why she needed the medicine.

Dr. Lugae ran his hands over the underside of Kairi's arm and tried to find some tissue or vein that hadn't been scraped to bits.

Terra didn't want to observe him run the massive needle up the girl's arm so delved into the journal again instead. Despite his best efforts, the knight could still hear her whining and wincing as the unimaginably thick needle ran under her pale, damaged skin.

"Be still or it will hurt more. If you move too much, I will have to start and over again and we don't want that now, do we?" Lugae chastised and rammed the needle further up the underside of her limb.

"No, sir," she sniffed and fought the tears that threatened to spill from her pearl black eyes.

Kairi was tough; like her sister. Terra liked Kairi. He had a soft spot for her although he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe his love for her sister was finding another outlet. Maybe he was fond of her because he knew how badly Blue wanted to save her and how it was what Blue longed for more than anything. He knew how much Kairi and her safety meant to Blue. She risked her life for her and he knew she would do it a thousand times over.

Maybe he looked after her for Blue. Perhaps it was guilt or maybe it was because Kairi reminded him of Blue. They didn't necessarily look alike or act alike but there were similarities. There was a certain family resemblance.

Once Dr. Lugae was done pumping Kairi with hazardous chemicals and substances, he didn't give her bandages or offer to wipe the blood and green liquid that oozed back out of the holes the needle had made in her innocent arms.

Lugae grabbed what looked like an oversized syringe and filled it with blood-red fluid and Kairi instantly began to fret.

"I don't want it. I feel fine. I-I don't feel sick," Kairi pleaded but Lugae roughly gripped her cheeks and started to force her mouth open.

The redhead aggressively shook her head back and forth and resisted the painful grip but Lugae put his dirty ungloved fingers into her mouth. Kairi could taste the grime and feel the grainy sand on her tongue. She began to spit and push at the man's arms, her face scrunching up as she squirmed on the coarse floor of her cell.

"Stop it, girl!" Lugae placed the needleless syringe on her lips.

Kairi clamped her mouth shut and resisted the medication but he wormed his fingers back into her mouth. Without thinking, Kairi instinctively bit his disgusting claws.

"Yeow!" Dr. Lugae wailed and yanked his fingers out of her mouth.

"Enough! I'll give it to her," Terra hissed when he could take the nonsense no more.

"You know nothing of administering medicines!" the doctor growled and while he was distracted Kairi ran away from him and hid behind Terra.

_Of course, the younger one expects me to protect her too. For the love of Darkness, what did I do to deserve all this…?_

"I know about as much as you do," Terra countered. He felt Kairi trembling behind him, grabbing fistfuls of his cape, and burying her face in the shadowy fabric she clung to.

"Fine! I’m tired of shoving it down her throat anyway! See how you like it when she bites you! Crazy little beast…" Lugae mumbled under his breath and began packing up everything but the red fluid and syringe he was leaving for Terra.

"Come get me when you get tired of wrestling with her and I’ll properly medicate her," he added condescendingly before wobbling out of the cell.

Terra sighed and rubbed his temples. After taking a moment to compose himself, he grabbed the syringe and emptied it into the lopsided sink in the corner of Kairi's cubicle. Then, he picked up the vial and emptied some of it too so it would look like he had gone through multiple attempts to give her the medication.

"W-What are you-you doing?" Kairi asked as she watched him with big black eyes, her irises undetectable due to the extreme dilation of her pupils.

"Giving you your medicine," he answered nonchalantly.

"I-I don't understand…”

"You remember what secrets are?"

Kairi nodded.

"Well this is going to be our little secret. If they ask, you got your medicine. Do you understand? If you tell them I didn't give it to you, Dr. Lugae will come back in here and give it to you and you don't want that, do you?"

Kairi aggressively shook her head.

"Terra?" Roxas called and knocked on the massive door of Kairi's cell.

"Come in, Roxas." The Dark Keyblade Master tossed the emptied syringe onto the ground.

"Lugae said that you were giving Kairi her medicine?" the blonde knight asked with sweeping amounts of concern, slamming the door behind him.

"I'm not actually giving it to her," Terra scoffed and continued disposing of the evidence.

"You're not?" Roxas was shocked, his blue eyes wide and baffled.

"No and unless you want me to rip your tongue out and feed it back to you, I suggest you don't tell anyone about that," Terra threatened menacingly, looming over the younger knight like a pending storm.

Kairi backed away from them both. Terra frightened her when he was like this.

"Why do you care?" Roxas countered, inhaling deeply and gaining the courage to glare back at his former commander.

"I don't," Terra belittled with an aloof snicker.

"I think you do. I think you don't like seeing someone who means so much to Aqua suffe—"

Before Roxas could finish his sentence, Terra had grabbed him by his throat, picked him off the ground, and rammed him into the nearest wall.

"You don't know me. Stop acting like you do. Don't act like you understand what I’m going through because you don't have a fucking clue. You can't even begin to comprehend how fucked up I am," the bronze knight snarled. "You’re just a cheerful little motherfucker that lives in an illusionary, naïve world where everything is simple and jovial all the fucking time! I have never experienced that kind of blissful, ignorant indulgence! Nothing in my life has ever been perfect or happy or easy! I learned from Eraqus that Xehanort possibly killed my mother! Not to mention I learned that after I learned that it was in their plan to—"

Terra instantly stopped his ravings when he realized that admitting his ambiguous role in the Black Mage project would mean admitting that he loved Blue and he would never  _verbally_  admit that to anyone; especially not Roxas.

"Terra, s-s-stop!" Kairi shakily pleaded and pulled at the rigid arm that mercilessly suspended Roxas off the ground by his throat. "P-Please! Don't hurt R-Roxas."

Terra released Roxas's throat and let his body fall back to the stone flooring where the dual Keyblade Master coughed and rubbed his aching throat.

"They have fucked with my life since I was a child and if I want to fuck with them by not giving Kairi her medicine, then I will. And it doesn't have anything to do with Blue! Believe it or not, everything I do does not hinge on that frigid bitch!" Terra raged and the redheaded girl flinched at the intensity of his voice.

"But that… That's treason! They'll kill you when they find out!" Roxas shouted

"My life has never been my own anyway. Nothing I've ever said or done has been of my own volition. Maybe before they kill me I can do a few things for myself.”

Terra was a Dark Knight because they had wanted him to be one. He had killed thousands because they willed it. He fell in love with Blue because they wanted him to.

' _You are forever the faithful and productive tool, Terra, even when you aren't aware of it,'_ Larxene's words taunted him from inside his head.

Blue had been right all along. One of the first things she’d ever said to him was that he was a tool and she had been right, but Terra wasn't really surprised. Blue had a nasty habit of being right.

"Terra, what are you talking about?" Roxas asked in bewilderment.

"I want… I want to see S-Sora," Kairi sniffled and rubbed her mangled arms.

Terra sighed and looked over at Roxas who only shrugged.

"Is Sora in his cell?" Terra asked lowly, looking away.

"Yeah. I think so. I haven't heard about him being sent to solitary confinement so he should either be in his cell or out working the dunes," Roxas replied. "Are you going to let him see her?"

Terra groaned. "I guess."

Roxas couldn’t think of a response. He could only gawk at him.

"Go get him. Make sure he is properly contained and ask them how long it’s been since he’s had his narcotics and magic suppressants. I don't want him causing any trouble," Terra continued and rubbed his temples. He felt a major migraine coming on and he just knew he was going to regret this.

"Got it," Roxas said before turning to leave the cell.

"Sora?" Kairi inquired hopefully, her eyes pleading and eager. Her eyes were dismal and large dark circles hung under them but somehow they were still evocative. She looked like a living, breathing corpse but she still had that radiant vigor about her. The frail but sanguine look she gave him caused the chronic guilt that almost constantly felt to coil further.

"Yeah. I’m letting him come see you. I don't know why I'm letting him, but I'm letting him," Terra groaned in response.

The sickeningly radiant child beamed up at him and embraced him, her pale, fragile arms winding around him as she rested her cheek against the uncomfortable armor that covered his chest.

The knight grunted and put his hands on her shoulders to shove her off him so he could put an end to the unwanted, displeasing contact, but he just couldn't do it. Kairi suffered enough and if she wanted to hug him then, he would let her hug him. He would let her have this simple, temporary gratification since it was probably one of the few things that kept her blissfully content and illogically sane.

Terra awkwardly held his hands away from her as if she would burn him until he finally placed one of his gauntleted hands upon her small, rosy head. He could pick up the faint smell of raspberries underneath all the grime, filth, and the repulsive aroma of nostrums.

' _Kairi smells like raspberries. They reminded me of her…so I ate more of them…'_ the blue haired captive had said.

_Yeah, I am definitely going to regret this. You’re becoming a sentimental fool, Terra, and you should be ashamed of yourself._


	28. Numbered Days

Unprofessionalism was Terra's new line of work, and he was excelling. As a sign of devotion to his new profession, he was purposely oversleeping. Actually, he wasn't sleeping; he just hadn't gotten up yet. He chose to lie in bed on his back and stare holes into his musty ceiling instead.

Oddly enough, Terra liked this dingy prison suite more than his luxurious room in Hollow Bastion. This room wasn't as comfortable or as pleasant and it wasn't much nicer than the prisoners' accommodations but this room didn't contain memories like his other room did. This room hadn't been tainted but that didn't stop his mind from wandering to that miserable place. No, that place could never be escaped. No matter where he went, that place would always follow him.

Terra closed his eyes and he could almost feel  _her_. If he tried really hard, he could smell her. Dainty balled fists rested on his chest, refusing to open and caress his blasphemous hide. Long, cobalt tresses sprayed over his trunk and tickled his nose and chin. One lone leg draped over his lap and her sex painfully close to his hip.

"Fuck," Terra groaned in agony as his body reacted to the mere thought of  _her._

The knight rolled onto his stomach and tried to rid himself of the tension in his needy, lower body.

Banging hammered against Terra's metal door.

"No," he grumbled in response.

The knocking intensified.

"No!" Terra shouted, removing his face from his pillow so his voice would carry.

_"Master Terra, I'm terribly sorry to bother you but Lord Xehanort has requested to see you immediately."_

Terra wanted to tell the guard on the other side of that door to tell Xehanort to go fuck himself. He knew there was a reason he didn't want to get out of bed...

"Tell him I'll meet him in the warden's office once I finish my current task." Terra was getting  _way_  too good at acting like he was doing something productive when he wasn't.

"Yes, Master Terra," the nameless guard answered and Terra could hear his footsteps retreating.

Unwillingly, the Dark Knight rolled out of bed and began hauling his armor off the mannequin within the room. As he adorned his body in bronze, gold, and black metal, he realized it seemed heavier and more cumbersome now. It was almost annoying to wear. He would much rather stay in his beige sleeping pants. Prison garb was even starting to seem more appealing. It wouldn't take hours to put on.

Terra placed his helmet on his head and exited his temporary chamber. He shut the door behind him and placed his hands in his unseen pockets and began leisurely ascending to the upper tier.

The spiraling staircase of this prison made Terra dizzy. Climbing to the upper tier required walking up a never-ending, helical stairwell. If the expansion plan for this prison were put into motion Terra seriously hoped they would invest in an elevator or pulley to help people travel to the uppermost floors.

Originally, this tower wasn't meant to be a prison. Before the Great War, Palamecia was a merely paranoid metropolis with surprising amounts of hindsight and technological advances. They built the tower for communication. The tower was used to communicate with other cities and villages over great distances. It allowed Palamecia to conduct trade efficiently, until the Great War hit.

Sensing the impending ruination, the paranoid, former emperor of Palamecia commanded the tower be used for strategic advances instead. At first, it was just to save their own hide. The tower was used to survey the area but as the war intensified Palamecia sided with the Dark Realm and offered their power and services to their cause. What is now the Palamcian Desert prison was turned into a military camp for the Dark Realm. The tower helped survey surrounding areas and discover potential battlefields. It became a military stronghold. It was perfect because of its size and isolation but that didn't keep the Denizens of Light from getting in a few good shots before the war ended. The Denizens of Light were the reason the tower leaned and appeared to be sinking.

After the war was won, the Dark Realm demanded the tower be turned into a prison for war prisoners. The rooms were turned into cells and the stairwells were reconstructed into the spiraling mess Terra was being forced to climb now.

When Terra reached the final tier and approached the warden's office, he hesitated. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face Xehanort. Would he ever be ready to face him after Eraqus told him that he had killed his mother? Terra knew it was inevitable considering Xehanort was practically his father and he needed to ask him about the incident himself but he knew his monarch. If Xehanort had killed his mother – and he could see him doing it – he would never admit it. Like Eraqus said…it wouldn't do for one of his knights to distrust him.

The bronze knight took in a deep breath and knocked on the rusted, metal door of the warden's office.

_"Enter."_

The Overlord's guttural voice reverberated off the walls and made Terra's stomach lurch.

Eventually, Terra gripped the flimsy latch that opened the door and entered stoically. To his surprise, the warden was present instead of a Seer Sage. He'd been expecting Marluxia or maybe Zexion to be at Xehanort's side but instead the coward, Borghen, stood next to him.

The warden wore a large, black general's hat with golden trim. An ebony cape with a crimson underside rested upon his chunky shoulders, and a red blouse covered his torso and arms but a golden vest covered in war medals while scarlet tassels clung to his chest. Gauntlets of pure gold protected his stubby appendages and white pants with black, vertical strips adorned his legs. Finally, a dagger hung threateningly from his golden vest and crimson shoes bound his small feet.

Borghen was short and fat and Terra could easily bust his jaw with his knee if he raised his leg. His skin was gray yet almost green; the tip of his chubby nose cherry red and tufts of his orange hair peaked out from under the general's hat. Bowlegged and stocky, the man turned to face him and Terra scowled inside his faceless headgear.

Borghen was a reprehensible fool who was a nobleman from Palamecia turned war general turned prison warden. It shocked Terra that the sissy was even here at all. Borghen had the title warden but he didn't _really_  play the role of warden. Borghen was just a figurehead. The Court was the real warden. That was how the prison system worked. The wardens were puppets used to carry out the jobs and tasks the Court demanded be done.

The more he thought about it, the more Terra realized he was in no position to denounce Borghen. He was just like him…a puppet. Terra used to think that he had some grand role to play, that he had power and authority as an elite Dark Knight but it was an illusion. The only difference between him and Borghen was that Borghen knew he was a puppet and played the part proudly and willingly. The former general enjoyed being a puppet.

"Good to see you, Terra!" the short rounded warden greeted jovially. "How are things in my prison?"

It took every ounce of Terra's willpower not to flat out laugh like a jackass.  _His_  prison? That was hilarious. All Borghen did was sit up in this room on his fat ass while the guards and Dark Knights did the labor. Terra doubted Borghen even knew which prisoners were in his prison! Borghen was supposed to know but Terra doubted he did. He probably knew them by name but he wouldn't be able to pick them out in a lineup. Then again, he didn't have to. That wasn't his job. All Borghen had to do was observe the prisoner files, play warden, and make sure everything went as the Court demanded. Every now and then he would bark orders but Terra hadn't laid eyes on him since he was transferred here which told him that Borghen was doing nothing but sitting in this room and dreaming of his former  _glory._

_I'm more of a warden than he is. He is about as competent as Lugae! Then again…that is what they want. If they had a competent warden, the Court wouldn't be able to play puppet master._

"Fine," Terra replied curtly before turning to face Xehanort. "You summoned me?" he continued.

"Indeed," Lord Xehanort responded with a nod. "General Borghen, leave us."

"Yes, my liege." Borghen all but kissed Xehanort's feet as he groveled his way out of the room.

_Moron._

Terra wasn't sure why he had asked Borghen to leave. The snake would just stand outside the door and listen anyway.

"How are you, Master Terra?" the Dark Overlord rasped kindly, placing a hand on Terra's shoulder.

_This is going to be unpleasant… He only calls me Master Terra if he is going to ask me to do something he knows I won't like._

"Has the time away from the Dark Capital been as beneficial as you hoped it would be?" Xehanort questioned with a bizarre smile on his face.

"I suppose." Terra shrugged.

"Good. In that case, I have a proposition for you." Master Xehanort folded his arms behind his slouched back.

_Here it comes._

Terra crossed his arms and waited silently for the proposition to be offered.

"Since you have regained your… _wits,_ I believe it is time that we discuss Aqua." Xehanort walked to the glassless window behind Borghen's messy desk.

The knight sighed. "What about her?"

"As you well know she must be obtained and dealt with," Xehanort glanced over his decrepit shoulder at Terra as sand blew around his tainted form.

Terra bobbed his head in annoyance. "We've already discussed this. I believe I said I wanted nothing to do with her."

"I am aware, but that is why I am here. I have come to offer you one final proposal before conclusive action is taken. Despite your words, I believe that you will want to know what the Court has decided," the monarch prodded but Terra didn't budge.

"The Court has decided that Aqua will either be executed or imprisoned for life and used as breeding stock." Xehanort smirked, casting his odious gaze back to the golden mass outside the oversized window.

Midnight blue eyes widened and Terra's breathing silently hitched. "What does that decision have to do with me?"

"That is where my proposal comes in," Xehanort turned and approached his knight. "I know how much she meant to you and that is why I am giving you a choice."

Terra's dark blue eyes stared blankly at the floor as he listened intently.

"Her life will be spared but only if you sire her spawn."

"Excuse me?" Terra managed to croak although his jaw had plummeted to the floor. He knew of these twisted breeding programs but he never dreamed of actually being roped into one.

"Vexen is very upset that he customized the Black Mage Project around Aqua. He customized it specifically for her and even began some of her treatments. In order for the Black Mage project to be utterly successful and to keep all that time and research from going to waste, we will need someone with magical abilities equal to if not greater than hers," Xehanort continued, his fingers wriggling behind him like decapitated snakes.

"So you want to breed a child that will have her blood and her unmatched necromancy," Terra finished for him, his blue eyes fixated on the golden dust that subtly danced along the stony floor. "Just find someone else. You had planned on there being more Black Mages anyway. Just find another subject. Why wait for the birth and development of a child? A half-breed no less! Besides, you'll have to wait years before it would even be able to  _be_  a Black Mage!"

"There will be other subjects, of course, but the child will be the future. We will continue to perfect the Black Mage project but doing so without such a pristine test subject will take years. By the time the child is of age, the project will be perfected and our monarchy's future in necromancy will be secured." Xehanort's yellow eyes glimmered with excitement. "You of all people know how long it took us to perfect Dark Knights. If it were not for those who came before you, you and your fellow knights wouldn't be the flawless powerhouses you are today! Without time, patience, and perseverance our reign wouldn't be as powerful nor would our territories as broad."

_So the kid will be of age by the time the project is perfected. It will receive the ideal surgical procedures and treatments on top of already being magically inclined. It would have predecessors to teach it the essentials and would only receive the best... The kid id would be a fucking force…the ultimate magic machine,_  Terra mused bitterly.

"We must plan for the future of our dynasty, Terra. I will not be around forever. None of us will be and that is why these breeding programs exist. It is why they are important. We have to breed out the weak and nurture the strong. We must ensure the future of our rule, not just its current state."

"What of the child? If I agree to do this, who would raise it? I assume its mother wouldn't play a role in its upbringing." Terra sighed and wished he could pinch the bridge of his nose. This was a nightmare.

"Neither of you will be required to tend to the child. All we need from you is your genetics. You will not actually have to  _father_ the child. It will be raised as you were. Aqua will breast-feed the child until it is time for it to be weaned then, it will be given to a nursemaid. Finally, when it is of age it will either become a Black Mage or perhaps a Mystic Knight if Darkness smiles upon our technological advances." Lord Xehanort explained these gory details so dismissively that it made Terra ill.

_For the love of Darkness…_

"If you choose to breed with her, she will be sent to a prison where you will see to her in your spare time. Once she conceives, you can return to your normal duties. It will just be another task. Do not think of it as a commitment. You will be its father but only biologically," Xehanort assured him.

It was becoming more and more clear that this kind of thing was not an uncommon occurrence. Terra shuttered to think of how many Dark Knights in service were spawned this way. He knew Children of Light were purposely being bred out but he didn't realize how far this kind of thing went. He didn't know and he didn't want to know.

"Provided that you complete every aspect this task, your demotion will be suspended. You will regain your rightful title of Captain and I will see to it that your current stigma will be uprooted. Consider this an opportunity for redemption after your many failures throughout the past year," the Dark Overlord said and Terra could feel his puppet strings being pulled taut.

"And if I refuse?" the knight responded emotionlessly.

"Aqua will be executed or perhaps we will have another knight sire her child," Xehanort stated casually but Terra knew it was a form of threat or perhaps blackmail. He wasn't sure which but he did know that Xehanort wanted this child and he wanted him to father it.

' _Once Xehanort gets something in his head, he cannot be deterred.'_

"You do not have to make your decision now. I know this is a lot to take in and not everyone wants to participate in our breeding program. I understand that. That is why I came to speak with you in person. I wanted you to know your options." Lord Xehanort patted Terra on his back.

"You have until the end of spring to make your decision," the Overlord declared as he lurched to the door. "At the end of spring, she will come here to retrieve Kairi and she will be captured inside this very tower. Her friends will be executed and your decision will determine her fate."

The  _proposition_  was sounding more and more like extortion. Xehanort was masterfully playing with his emotions, his weaknesses, and his wants. The Overlords knew Terra was pulling away from them, that he distrusted them, and that he was rebelling, and this was the perfect way to coerce him into obedience. They were effortlessly reeling him back in.

"She will arrive on the last day of spring at twilight. I must have your verdict before then."

Terra's blood boiled as he realized why he'd been sent to Palamecia. It all made sense. They wanted him there so that he would reclaim Blue when she came for Kairi. Just as he had suspected from the beginning, there was a reason they hadn't sent him after her, there was a reason they let her go, there was a reason they had deployed him to Palamecia. There was always a reason behind everything that he did…or was  _allowed_  to do.

"Send word to us when your choice is made. General Borghen can make the proper arrangements and ensure that we receive your message," Xehanort explained as Borghen reentered the room and held the door open for the monarch.

_He talks like he already knows what my answer will be… He probably does._

Terra subtly nodded, his body language stiff and indecipherable.

"I will see you at the end of spring." Lord Xehanort peered over his willowy shoulder at Terra, his eyes glowing with delight. "Master Terra."

* * *

"Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?" Ventus asked with a sigh, his face turning bright red. Again.

Aqua sighed and continued tucking her short, distinct hair into the black wig she'd bought from a peddler in ZoZo. The blackened wig bobbed off at her chin and had a deep bang that covered her entire forehead.

"Yes, Ven. I heard you the first fifteen times you complained about it," she groused and cynically examined herself in the mirror.

Naminé began giggling into her sketchpad. "You look so weird with black hair!"

Aqua smiled and playfully tossed the short wig around for Naminé's enjoyment.

"She kind of looks like Xion," Riku stated from his lax position on the room's four twin beds.

"Yeah, she does a little bit!" Xion cried with a chuckle. "Are you sure we aren't biological sisters?"

"Look, I'm not saying it's a bad plan," Ventus changed the subject again, pacing around the dim, coffee-colored room as he spoke. "It's actually pretty clever considering we haven't had much luck since we got here but-"

"Ven. We can't keep using the same questioning tactic. We are getting nowhere fast. These knights are about as friendly as the ones in Hollow Bastion. I really think this will be our best bet," Aqua insisted and ran her fingers through the matted weave, trying to give the faux mane a more realistic texture.

They had been in Doma for a few days but they hadn't gotten any information. The knights they'd found didn't want to speak to them, much less speak of their former occupation. Aqua had heard them talking amongst each other at the tavern and to the pretty  _call girls_  and waitresses but not to them.

Seeing the former Dark Knights interact and brag to their ladies of the evening and female severs had given Aqua an idea, a dubious, lewd idea, but still an idea. The ex-knights might not want to talk to rugged fugitives, but they would want to talk or brag to a pretty server.

"I'm going to be watching, Ven." Riku yawned and stretched along the creamy bedspread. "I won't let anything bad happen."

"You act like I got a job as a prostitute. I'm just going to be a waitress." Aqua crossed her arms.

"Yeah. You're going to be a waitress…at a brothel…bar…tavern thing!" Ven argued and pointed to the area outside.

Aqua would be lying if she said she hadn't been… _surprised_  by Doma's…environment and framework. Riku had purposely left out some of the details involving the ' _town.'_

If one wanted to get technical, Doma wasn't really a town at all. It was a massive castle that had been turned into some kind of bizarre, indoor municipality where retired and former Dark Knights, Generals, Captains, and soldiers could come to seek refuge and varying forms of entertainment.

An entrepreneur had taken full advantage of the ex Dark Knights' tendencies and the demographics that occurred after the Great War. The man had bought the gargantuan citadel, which was once a Light fortress, and turned it into a Dark Knight haven. The castle had all the Dark Knight delights: women, alcohol, weapons, privacy, isolation, extravagance, and violence.

Aqua could indeed confirm that this met Dark Knight standards. The castle even reminded her of Tarnen. It might even be bigger. It had enormous wings for the knights and wings for tourists and visitors, which was where they were currently staying. To the group's surprise, no one questioned them or their intentions as long as they were willing to pay. Knights, whether retirees or deserters were allowed to stay for free, but apparently, other people came from all over to enjoy this odd municipality's ambiance too. Honestly, Aqua was surprised this place hadn't been burned to the ground until she realized the owner probably had some kind of odd deal with the Overlords and that frightened her. She hadn't seen any current Dark Knights yet but that didn't mean they didn't roam the fortress' halls.

"What choice do I have, Ven? They aren't talking to us and I told you before that I'm going to do whatever I have to," Aqua confirmed sternly and she meant it. She would do whatever it took to save her sister.

"Yeah but did Xion have to get a job as a waitress too?" Ven whined, almost pulling his hair out.

"Hey, I didn't make her do that!" Aqua countered and pointed to Xion defensively.

"I did it on my own, Ventus," Xion chimed in. "Aqua shouldn't have to do this alone and the strategy will be more affective if I interact with knights too. Not to mention we will make twice the munny."

"Girl has a point," Riku concurred and glanced at Ventus. "It won't take nearly as long and hopefully, we can find out which prison Kairi was taken to and get the fuck out of here before they catch onto us."

"Look at it this way." Aqua grabbed Ven's hand to keep him from pacing grooves into the floor. "The quicker we find the information, quicker we can quit. We'll quit the instant I find out where Kairi has been taken."

"Promise?"

"I promise," she smiled and gently patted his cheek.

Reluctantly, Ven nodded.

"Get ready, Xion. Our first shift starts in half an hour," Aqua announced and clapped her hands impatiently at the girl who sat next to Riku's legs on the bed.

Xion nodded, rose to her feet, and went into the bathroom to prepare for their unpleasant evening.

Aqua walked over the lush, green rug to the other side of the room where Naminé sat. The blonde girl had gotten unnaturally quiet. She sat in front of the tawny fireplace silently sketching.

Curious, the blue girl knelt down in front of her.

"Naminé?" Aqua whispered and tried to see what the girl was drawing but she couldn't quite make it out.

"Huh?" the blonde jumped.

"Are you okay?" Aqua asked genuinely and placed a nurturing hand on her forehead. She was a bit clammy and warm but she didn't have a fever…

"Y-Yeah. I just… I must've zoned out for a minute." Naminé shook her head back and forth as if it would make her more lucid.

Aqua tiled her head and tried to inspect the drawing again. "What were you drawing?"

"Oh, I'm not sure…"

"May I see?" the older girl asked tenderly.

The blonde nodded and rotated the sketchpad around so Aqua could see its contents.

Squinting, Aqua thought the picture was of Sora at first until she saw the bronze armor Naminé had drawn on the brown-haired man.

Terra. It was a picture of Terra. He was surrounded by what looked like sand. Naminé had almost completely colored over him with a yellow crayon. His eyes were closed, lying lifelessly on the yellow ground and holding a bright orange object in one of his hands.

_The Wayfinder…_

"Who is this, Naminé?" Aqua questioned softly, her eyes not leaving the picture. Yes, she knew very well who it was, but she wanted to see if Naminé knew.

"I don't know. I don't remember drawing it…"

Aqua swallowed hard and motioned to the other pages of the sketchpad. "May I?"

Naminé smiled and nodded.

Apprehensively, Aqua began sifting through the other pages of Namine's sketchpad. She'd drawn flowers, Kairi, the towns they had gone to, Cid, Galbadia Hotel and many other harmless drawings. They were just of people and places they had seen or been to. The sketches were all innocent until Aqua stumbled upon one of her and Terra. They were holding hands and…smiling…

_How did she know about that…? We weren't holding hands when we entered the Outer Gardens… Never mind… It doesn't matter._

Ignoring the drawing, she quickly flipped to the next page.

The following pages contained more innocent drawings. She flipped through them until she stumbled upon one that was different from the others. The paper had been scraped to bits by black charcoal…and it looked like it had once been a picture of her…

"I drew that one while we were looking for you. I don't remember drawing it either. I was drawing a picture of you and then I blacked out… When I came to, it looked like this." Naminé ran her milky fingers along the deep lacerations her pencil had cruelly carved into the vellum.

"Are there any others you don't remember doing?"

Aqua hated to admit it, but Naminé's drawing had reminded her of the way Zexion scribbled in his book. Naminé wasn't a  _seeress_ …was she? She had always done innocent sketches but they never meant anything, right? They had never predicted anything, did they?

No, they weren't visions. She was just being paranoid. Naminé couldn't be a seeress. Seers were something malevolent and dark and Naminé wasn't anything like the Seer Sages. She was bright and innocent. She wouldn't harm a fly.

"I don't think so," Naminé replied.

"Will you do me a favor?" the Keyblade wielder asked with a tiny smile.

"Mm-hmm."

"If you ever find a drawing that you don't remember doing…let me know."

"Okay," Naminé complied without hesitation.

_No, she can't be. It's impossible. You're overeating, Aqua. It's probably just a side effect of all the stress we're under._

"I guess I'm ready," Xion announced.

Aqua looked up to see the raven-haired girl was dressed identically to her except her outfit wasn't as revealing and her skirt was purple instead of blue.

Xion tugged at her much too short shirt and did her best to adjust her fishnet stockings that traveled to her pale knees. The short, purple skirt was fluffy and ruffled around her thighs. The tight, black top tied around the back of her neck and had a plunging neckline, but was still relatively modest. Her back was exposed and a large purple bow bounced on the small of her back and her purple heels clinked against the umber floor as she approached them and slid her black gloves up to her elbows.

"This is a nightmare!" Ventus blushed again and sat at the rounded table that had been planted beside their sizable fireplace.

"I'm seventeen years old!" Xion's face heated as well. "Stop acting like I'm twelve!"

"You're his younger sister, Xion," Aqua interjected. "It doesn't matter how old you get, you're always going to be his baby sister… I would be doing the same thing if Kairi were here. Granted, your age more appropriate. Kairi is just fourteen… I mean fifteen. She will be fifteen by now…"

"What did you do on your birthday this year Aqua… You were in Hollow Bastion at the time… Did anyone even know it was your birthday?" Namine inquired curiously, her tone forlorn and dismal.

"No. It was just another day of captivity for me. I didn't even realize I'd  _had_ a birthday until days later. It wasn't like I had anyone to celebrate with anyway." Aqua shrugged emotionlessly.

An awkward prolonged silence filled the room. This was why she rarely talked about her captivity. This was why she usually chose not to talk about it because every time she did, they never knew what to say or how to respond.

"Anyway, it's over now and Xion and I have work to do!" Aqua said optimistically with a brilliant smile.

"Riku?" she added and snapped her fingers playfully for him to follow her.

The silver-haired Keyblade Master groaned and hauled himself to his feet. "Yeah. I'm coming. I'm coming. Time to escort the _escorts,"_  he teased with a wink.

"Stop calling us that!" Xion scolded before hitting Riku upside the head.

"Easy! Easy!" Riku winced and held his hands up defensively, "I was just playing. Geez!"

"Xion! Stop hitting Riku! And Riku, no more hooker jokes!" Aqua chastised and slammed the door behind them.

* * *

_She was chained to the bed for him. Her hands restrained behind her head, her legs ruthlessly pulled apart by the shackles secured around her ankles, completely nude._

_Her eyes were weak and puffy. Her skin was unnaturally pale. The bloody proof of her loss of innocence still stained the unwashed sheets of her prison bed. Further proof of her impurity lied on the plains of her stomach. Her once flat abdomen was now slightly rounded with child._

_He walked to the bed and carefully freed her chafed, bleeding ankles. He didn't like her completely restrained. He liked to feel her legs move. If she was a good girl, he might even consider freeing her hands._

_Armor clanked noisily to the floor as he undressed, causing her to wince with each thunderous clang of his protective covering. She knew what it meant._

_He crawled up the foot of the bed, carefully and meticulously positioning himself between her velvety legs._

_She didn't fight him. Not anymore. She had finally been broken._

_His mouth caresses the cool flesh of her stomach and tenderly kissed the small swell of her stomach where their child grows._

_It was a bit too soon to confirm but he knew the deed was done. He would be Captain again once the child was born, maybe even when the physician confirmed that his seed has indeed taken root. The details didn't matter. He'd played his part. He'd done his job. Actually carrying and birthing the child was her affair. Not his._

_He probably didn't have to take her again, but he wanted to be thorough. And maybe a part of him just wanted her. He wanted to hear her whimpers. He wanted to watch her fight her moans. He wanted to feel her womanhood constrict around him until his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He wanted to force her body into an unwilling climax. He wanted to watch her face as her body betrayed her and showed faithfulness to no one but him._

" _Say it," he growled, his smoldering gaze leaving her stomach and traveling to her dead eyes._

_She sighed and squirmed helplessly beneath his overbearing weight. He licked all over her stomach and between her legs. His tongue caressed her thighs and teased her defiled core. Powerful hands gripped her already bruised hips until her ivory flesh began to discolor further._

_He kissed all over her lower half and licked his way up her body. He lapped his scalding tongue over and between her breasts. His hands arch her back for her and he buried his face in her lavender-scented neck. He groaned in pleasure as her aroma violated his senses and her body caressed his. He growled when his groin finally made contact with her thigh, unsympathetically scraping his sex against her and gnawing at her neck until she gasped. His manhood twitched with need at the sweet angelic sound of her beautiful voice._

" _Say it!" he demanded again, one of his hands leaving her curved back and finding the nape of her neck, grabbing a handful of her mane and yanking her head back._

" _I love you," she cried._

_Roughly, he captured her lips with his. She whimpered a bit from the intensity and he moaned at the exhilarating noises she made. Anxious, tanned hands seized her hips and firmly held her in place. Then, in one swift fluid motion, he mercilessly forced his way inside her._

* * *

Terra woke with a violent start, his body covered in sweat and grime and the blood in his veins painfully stale. He rolled out of his bed and stumbled gracelessly into the hallway of the penitentiary. Once he was in the hall, he vomited all over the stony prison floor. He fell to his hands and knees and puked his guts out for what seemed like an eternity. Even when nothing remained in his stomach, he continued to dry heave relentlessly.

The prisoners groaned and whined in disgust while Terra's body insisted on disposing of everything inside his stomach.

Coughing and gagging persisted while the dream's presence lingered.

He couldn't do it. It was too fucked up. Blue would rather die than be breeding stock, and honestly, Terra would rather die than be the one to force that on her. A merciful death would be preferred over that kind of existence.

_Don't be so vain! You know a part of you liked that dream. You know a part of you lusts for that kind of savagery! It's in your nature,_ a voice much like Vanitas' chimed inside his head.

Terra wiped the remaining discharge from his mouth and spat onto the ground once more in a pitiful attempt to dispose of the tart taste in his mouth.

He could hear the prisoners jeering at him. They were having a field day watching him get sick. The knight didn't really blame them. He was the reason half of them were here in the first place. If the roles were reversed, he would probably be laughing and mocking him too.

Resolve hit hard and Terra decided he would go to Borghen's chamber and write the letter to the Overlords informing them that he wouldn't be their twisted sire.

_But if you don't do it, she'll die. They'll execute her_ , the pesky voice in his head heeded but he didn't stop his ascent to the next floor.

"She'll want to die anyway," he rasped aloud, his raw, bile coated throat stinging with each vibration of his vocal chords.

_You know you want to have her as your own personal plaything. Don't act proud and noble. We've been through this, you aren't a hero and you aren't prince charming. You. Are. A. Monster._

"I'm not trying to be a hero. I just can't do it." Terra shook his head, his shaggy, brown hair swaying around his eyes.

_Why? Afraid you might like it?_ the voice like Vanitas' taunted.

"Maybe."

He was a monster. Why wouldn't he like something like that? It seemed like something he would indulge in. Sexual assault had never really been his forte but who was to say he wouldn't do such a thing? He was a monster…right? Don't monsters do that kind of thing?

Terra kicked in Borghen's door and staggered to the desk that sat in front of the massive window. The night that poured through the open window was still and calm as the knight carelessly sorted through the papers until he found a clean piece of paper. He grabbed a discarded pen and pressed it to the paper.

_'Lord Xehanort,_

_After much consideration and introspection, I have decided to'_

His hand began to shake and he started to make rough scribble marks all over the parchment near the last word.

_'I have decided to'_

Terra's breathing quickened and his palms began to sweat.

_'I have decided to accept your proposal.'_ He quickly ripped the paper to shreds and burned the remains with Fire.

_'I have decided against accepting your proposition.'_  He tried again but that one ended up being burned to cinders as well.

"I haven't decided a damn thing!" Terra roared in complete vexation and kicked the desk across the room before storming out into the hall.

"Someone has vandalized Borghen's chamber, have someone tend to it," he growled as he passed a nearby guard.

No longer sleepy and with nowhere else to go, Terra roamed the desolate prison atriums and eventually, ended up in Kairi's cell.

The girl was fast asleep on her tiny, stained mat; her long hair coiling around behind her and his cape pulled up over her small frame.

It was amazing how much better she was now that he'd stopped giving her the red tonic. Her cheeks were almost rosy, her skin was no longer  _deathly_  pale, and she was sleeping peacefully. At first, Terra didn't know what the scarlet liquid was. He just knew he didn't want to give it to her, but soon, he realized it contributed to her memory loss and regression.

Absentmindedly, the Keyblade Master walked to the flat pallet and knelt down beside it.

"You would hate me too if you knew any better," he mused.

But Kairi didn't know any better. She knew nothing of the world outside. She didn't know of Dark Knights, of Seer Sages, of the Dark Rule. Unlike Blue, Kairi had no recollection or comprehension of who he really was, of what he really was. If she did, she would hate his guts just like her sister did. She would resent him, avoid touching him, avoid making eye contact with him, and would eventually leave him.

Terra shook his head when his thought process went to his relationship Blue instead of the innocent one he had with Kairi.

To Kairi, Terra was just a man she regarded as some form of brother. There were no labels, outside impressions, persistent biases, nasty memories, or corrupt opinions. She looked at him for who he was, who she knew him to be from their time together. Terra liked that about their odd relationship and he dreaded the day she remembered him, the _real_  him.

By not giving Kairi a crucial part of her treatment, he risked having her remember what and who he was. Her recollection came with a lofty price. She would remember what happened to her and her life of knowing only happiness would end. But if she remembered the bad, she would also remember the good. She would remember her sister, her family, and her life before it was all ripped away from her.

_Maybe I should start taking her medication instead of throwing it down the drain. It would be nice to forget about everything…_

The knight knew Kairi's condition was cruel and unusual but he couldn't help but envy the simplicity and strange happiness she maintained in spite of everything.

_I guess that's that whole_ **Light** _thing… I wouldn't know anything about that._

Kairi yawned and her eyes fluttered open. The dilation in them had lessened and Terra could see that her eyes were in fact blue, but they weren't baby blue like her sister's. They were a bit darker.

"T-Terra?" she yawned again and groggily sat up.

The knight knelt in the darkness and watched her intently. He didn't smile even though he almost felt the urge to.

"What are y-you doing h-here?" Kairi rubbed her droopy eyes.

"I, um, I couldn't sleep," he confessed and twiddled his long fingers. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Why not?" the girl inquired fretfully. She could tell something was off. She knew him well enough to know when he wasn't himself and Terra hadn't been himself since Xehanort came to visit a while back—at least that was what Roxas had told her.

"I got sick," the knight grumbled and winced when he tasted the remaining bile in his mouth.

The redhead placed a hand on his forehead. It amazed him that she could be mature one moment and practically an infant the next.

Terra chuckled softly. "It wasn't that kind of sick."

"Tummy ache?" Kairi tilted her head.

"Yeah. A tummy ache." The Dark Knight patted his toned stomach.

Kairi yawned and lied back down on her pallet. She pulled the unconventional blanket Terra had given her over her shoulders and curled into a small ball.

_Yeah. I can't do it…_

"Do you remember your sister?" Terra asked softly.

Kairi's eyes reopened. "Blue, lots of blue..."

"That's right." Terra smiled and brushed some of her cherry tresses off her face. "Do you remember her name?"

"Larxene?" Kairi parroted.

"No, her name is Aqua." The contemptible name rolled off his bile-covered tongue like sludge.

"Awa," the redhead whispered and looked at the blue, paper flowers she'd plastered to her dreary walls and clumsily planted on her gravelly, grainy floor.

"The one who made ice flowers for you?"

"That was…real? She is real? She was m-my s-sister?" Kairi asked suspiciously, her red brow creasing.

"Yes and she is very real."

_Unfortunately,_ he added privately.

"But the witch… They said the witch had blue hair and eyes," the redhead countered skeptically and sat up a bit.

The Dark Knight sighed. "There is no witch. There is no such thing."

"But… But the Masters said…" Kairi panicked and held her head in her hands.

Terra inched toward her and took her hands away from her violated head.

"Don't worry about what the Masters said. Don't worry about the details. Just trust me when I tell you that there is no witch and that you have a sister named Aqua. She had blue hair and sky blue eyes and she loves you very much," Terra stated and realized it was one of the nicest things he had ever uttered.

Kairi remained silent and skeptical as she looked down at him with bewildered eyes.

"Do you trust me?" Terra asked sternly.

She nodded with displaced certainty.

"Do you think you can remember that for me?" Terra squeezed Kairi's small hands.

Kairi nodded again.

"Repeat it. What is it that I want you to remember?"

"There isn't a White Witch. Aqua is my sister. She has blue hair and blue eyes…and she loves me," Kairi replied, tears flowing down her grimy cheeks.

Terra could hear in her words, she remembered. In some very vague and simple way she remembered Blue.

"Good girl," Terra commended and placed a hand on her head and roughly yet playfully tossed her ruby mane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
> 
> By the way the warden, Borghen, is an actual Final Fantasy character. He is from Final Fantasy II if you want to look him up!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	29. Mercy

* * *

_I find a map and draw a straight line_

_Over, rivers, farms, and state lines_

_The distance from A to where you'd B_

_It's only finger-lengths that I see_

_I touch the place where I'd find your face_

_My fingers in creases of distant dark places_

_I hang my coat up in the first bar_

_There is no peace that I've found so far_

_The laughter penetrates my silence_

_As drunken men find flaws in science_

_Their words mostly noises_

_Ghosts with just voices_

_Your words in my memory_

_Are like music to me_

_I'm miles from where you are_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

_\- Set Fire to the Third Bar, Snow Patrol_

* * *

The tavern inside Doma Castle roared. Bottles and glasses clinked, armor rattled, masculine laughter boomed, and fluids gurgled. Cigar and cigarette smoke filled the room to the brim while tales of brutality and former glory hummed throughout the sizable space.

Yawning, Aqua filled two large mugs with ale. It was late. It was  _very_  late but she didn't know the very hour.

She buried her mouth in the crook of her elbow to hide yet another yawn while the final mug filed with the frothy liquid.

"This is degrading." Xion tossed her silver serving tray of empty shot glasses onto the counter.

"I told you it would be," Aqua chastised lightly and tried to scratch her smothered scalp without messing up her itchy, jet-black wig. The weave was hot and terribly itchy but she couldn't remove it. Her hair was too distinct and memorable. She hadn't seen anyone she recognized  _yet_  but it was still a frightening possibility. Even if she didn't run into anyone she knew, people would still recognize her. If anyone came and asked if they had seen a girl with blue features, they could easily remember her and turn her into the Dark Rule. She just couldn't risk it.

"I don't know how girls can do this everyday and I really don't know how the girls upstairs do what they do…" Xion confessed with a blush and began filling up three large mugs of her own once Aqua finished filling hers.

Instinctively, Aqua glanced at the nearby stone stairwell that led to the brothel upstairs. Just as she looked, one of the call girls was playfully leading one of the ex-knights upstairs.

Aqua was glad their uniforms were different so she wouldn't be mistaken for anything other than a server often. Granted, her role was sexualized more than necessary but she didn't look like the actual call girls did. They had faces full of makeup and wore bright, revealing dresses that made Larxene look modest.

"I wouldn't judge them too harshly." Aqua put her massive tray on her shoulder, "They may not have anywhere else to go or any other way of making munny. I never thought I would end up in a place like this either but here I am… You would be surprised what you will do for those you care about or even to survive."

Xion nodded, holding her head down.

"Anyway, if you've had enough for the night, you can retire to dish duty. I'll cover for you if the madam comes down and asks where you are," the older girl added before wandering around the lengthy bar of shiny timber.

Aqua knew Xion was still a bit young for this kind of atmosphere even if she wasn't  _technically_  too young to be a waitress. There were girls younger than Xion here, but it made her ill to see girls that young participating in this kind of sexualized career. The younger girls didn't go upstairs but the girls around Aqua's age certainly did and that caused lots of the bar's customers to ask her to go upstairs with them although she wasn't dressed like the girls that worked upstairs in the brothel.

"I'll work a bit longer. There was a promising conversation going on at table three," Xion replied and continued filling the crystal mugs.

"Okay. Just let me know when you've had enough or if anyone bothers you. If it gets too bad, don't hesitate to put someone to sleep." Aqua winked and disappeared into the sea of tables and clanging armor, her heels clinking loudly against the stony cobblestone of the castle's floor.

Unfortunately, the men seemed to like how she looked. She was groped and harassed frequently and it took all her willpower to not freeze their hands and their vulgar tongues.

As tempting as freezing them was, Aqua knew that it wouldn't work to her advantage in the long run. She had to play meek, innocent, and nice. The knights opened up more if she kept them happy and played the role of a girl who  _wanted_ to work there. Luckily, she had  _some_  experience with charming Dark Knights, playing nice, and flirting if necessary…

"Here are your drinks, gentlemen," Aqua stated brightly and began distributing the drinks to the two men at the table.

"See! I told you she had bright, blue eyes!" a beastly burly man with a scruffy beard, and a helmet covering his eyes exclaimed and seized Aqua's wrist.

The young woman blinked rapidly and smiled instead of listening to her screaming instincts and freezing his hand right off her arm like she wanted.

"Why is that so surprising, Wedge?" a slender man dressed identically to the one that clung to Aqua's arm crossed his arms over his metal chest.

They both wore dreary, infantryman uniforms. Bronze helmets rested on their heads and hid their eyes while suits of blackened leather clung to their bodies. Gauntlets of chrome adorned their hands and matching shoulder pads rested upon their broad shoulders. Sepia colored leather belts crisscrossed over their torsos and belts of the exact same reddish-brown color held their burly leather jackets closed at their toned middles. They wore baggy pants that mimicked the same dreary shade of gray as their jackets and finally, enormous chrome boots upon their feet.

The leather uniforms were not as nice as the shiny armor but Aqua was glad they wouldn't make that unholy sound when they moved. She still had nightmares about the sound of creaking, clanging armor following her. She would never forget the sound that blasphemous armor made when Dark Knights chase their prey. She would never forget that hair-raising sound as long as she lived…

"Because! Most girls in the Dark Realm have brown eyes! The closest thing we get to blue is green, gray, or hazel!" bellowed Wedge, his stocky hand locked onto the Child of Light's joint.

"Please, excuse Wedge, Miss. He doesn't get out much anymore," the taller, skinner man replied chivalrously. "Oh, where are my manners! My name is Biggs and the big oaf is Wedge."

"It's nice to meet you both," Aqua humored him and smiled for them both. She recognized them now, they were regulars and she'd served them frequently. She had to admit they were some of the more pleasant of her clientele.

"Look, Biggs! Her eyes practically sparkle!" Wedge raved and leaned much too close to her.

_What is it with Dark Knights and personal space!_ Aqua thought as she pulled away a bit and grimaced at the strong pungent smell of liquor that seeped off of Wedge's tongue.

"Girls' eyes don't sparkle like that anymore!" Wedge continued to be enamored by the girl with dazzling, cerulean eyes.

Wedge wasn't the first one to rave on about Aqua's eyes. She hadn't really thought about her eyes being that distinct, her hair, yes, but her eyes? The more Wedge raved and the more Aqua thought about it, what was actually catching his attention wasn't the fact that they were blue, but the fact that he was seeing her Light; the same subtle Light that the other knights were drawn to. They were seeing her lineage, that she was a Child of Light.

"Yes, Wedge, she's very pretty," Biggs huffed and grinned at Aqua. "What's your name, sweet cheeks?"

_Oh, crap, um, Dark Realm names… Dark Realm names… Oh, what did I tell the madam my name was during my interview…?_

"Terra."

"Doesn't really suit you." Biggs shrugged and drummed his fingers on the charcoal leather that coated his biceps.

"I know right? My parents misjudged that one," she played along and giggled nervously.

The men chuckled softly.

Biggs and Wedge clearly weren't from the Dark Capital. Their gear wasn't the same. Their helmet's only covered the back of their heads and hid their eyes. They wore more leather than armor. Perhaps they were not the élite. Not all knights were like Terra. Maybe they were just infinity men or guards.

"Why are you here?" Biggs asked bluntly

Aqua reeled. "Excuse me?"

"You aren't from here," Biggs continued matter-of-factly and Aqua's heart sank but she wasn't necessarily afraid. She couldn't explain why, but she didn't fear Biggs and Wedge. Somehow she knew they meant her no harm.

"No," she remained calm and composed. "I lived in the Dark Capital for a while…" Her eyes shifted uncomfortably to Biggs' mug and she watched the glass' sweat stream down the translucent siding of the mug. "It, um… It didn't really work out…" she chuckled nervously.

"Hey! I know where I've seen those eyes before!" Wedge exclaimed after taking a huge swig of ale, froth clinging to his chapped lips and beard.

"Biggs!" he practically yelled. "She's that girl who came here a few days ago asking about Dark Realm prisons!"

"Hmmm, she does favor that girl…" Biggs stroked his sleek, angular chin.

Aqua blushed and held her head down a bit, the coarse hair of her wig tickling her flushed cheeks.

"Who are you looking for, sweetheart?" he whispered.

Aqua's eyes widened. "Pardon me?"

"No one asks about Dark Realm prisons unless they're looking for someone or planning on busting someone out," Wedge answered and took another gulp of his drink.

"So who has been taking from you? Boyfriend? Husband?" Biggs questioned as if he could relate, like this wasn't uncommon. Being some form of Dark Knight he probably knew how many men were taken away from their wives.

"My little sister," Aqua whispered.

"Your  _sister_?" Wedge inquired in disbelief.

"What did she do?" Biggs asked, his brow knitting as he finally took a slug of his sweaty brew.

"Nothing," she replied and tried to hide the scorn that threatened to corrupt her statement.

"She was taken for what she  _might_  do. That's why I want to find her. I understand war prisoners and things of that nature, but my sister was different… She hadn't done anything... _yet_." Aqua sighed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Come here," Biggs instructed curtly and patted his dark, leather lap after setting his flagon of ale back on the table.

_'Come here.'_

The memory of Terra's powerful, almost seductive voice echoed in her head. She could see him setting on the frozen training field, his long index finger curling and gesturing for her to approach him so he could teach her how to conjure Fire spells.

The Child of Light's act faded when the reminiscence ceased and she realized what Biggs was suggesting. She'd flirted with knights and played the part of oblivious, perky saloon girl for a few days now but she never went this far.

"Do what he says, Miss," Wedge chimed in and propped his booted feet up on the messy table. "They'll get suspicious of you talking with us for so long if you aren't in his lap."

Aqua chewed her bottom lip as she mulled it over. It would look more natural in this kind of setting if she sat in Biggs' lap. He would look like a potential _client_. People would think they were flirting and that they would eventually go upstairs to the brothel. She'd seen the countless call girls and even some of the other waitresses do it thousands of times already. No one would give it a second thought…

The Keyblade wielder eyed the offering cynically before daintily taking a seat in Biggs' lap. She adjusted her skirt and crossed her legs carefully while Biggs respectfully modeled around her. He placed one hand on the folded hands in her lap and rested his other hand on the small of her back.

"I'm assuming that you're doing that for show, but if your hands get frisky or if I feel you get… _happy,_ I'm getting up and slapping you across the face," Aqua warned with a deceiving yet flirty smile on her face.

"She's feisty! I love it!" Wedge clapped so loudly from his wooden seat that he almost flipped his chair backward, his limbs flailed and his body jerked as he tried to regain his poor balance.

Biggs guffawed uncontrollably as Wedge cautiously placed his feet back onto the table. Not wanting to be rude, Aqua covered her mouth to hide her silent tittering.

"Don't worry,  _Terra_. My intentions are honorable," said Biggs after he'd retrieved his composure.

Aqua couldn't see his eyes for his helmet, but she was sure Biggs winked after that statement.

"So what are you wanting to know?" he smiled.

"Why are you wanting to help me?" Aqua almost snapped, her natural skepticism of Dark Knights getting the better of her.

"I'm here for a reason. There's a reason I'm not in the line of duty anymore. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?" Biggs' smile instantly faded and turned into a flat, emotionless line.

"Biggs and I didn't really _volunteer_  to be Dark Knights," Wedge grumbled and lifted his helmet to scratch his scruffy mane of curly brown. "We were aggressively…. Hmmm, what's the right word…? Drafted?"

"Are you deserters?" Aqua inquired politely and cast a glance in Wedge's direction. She couldn't help herself. She smiled when she saw his curly locks and big doe eyes.

"Yep!" Wedge replied a bit too quickly and Aqua could feel Biggs cringe underneath her.

"Keep your voice down, you dolt!" Biggs hissed and threw his mug at Wedge's massive frame.

Wedge shielded himself with his thick forearms and the glass shattered effortlessly against his golden gauntlet. He only chuckled as he was doused with Biggs' remaining ale.

"We aren't the only deserters here. Calm down." Wedge chortled a bit more and wiped some of the fermented liquid off his arms and face.

"Yeah but I don't want any of the retirees knowing that! You know how the loyal can be."

Aqua tried her hardest not to think of Terra's sickeningly firm loyalty to the Dark Rule. The loyalty that had ultimately made him turn on her, the reason why he wasn't with her now. It would have been  _so_ much easier if he'd just come with her. He knew where Kairi was. He could've told them and she wouldn't have to be sitting in a deserter's lap searching for answers. Who knows, Kairi might even be with them now if they had achieved Terra's help. Everything would've been so much easier if he didn't have that stupid loyalty and had just come with them…

_I hope you're happy. I hope it was worth it,_ she mused bitterly as her body tensed and her temperature dropped dramatically.

"Ah!" Biggs yelped and snatched his hand away from Aqua's. His entire hand was coated in frost, icy steam levitating off his immobile fingers and palm.

"Oh!" Aqua squeaked and held her hands over her mouth in surprise. "I'm so sorry!"

The Keyblade wielder quickly grabbed the frozen appendage and began heating his hand with a subtle Fire spell.

Adjusting to life without magic suppressant swimming in her veins was proving to be more challenging than she'd anticipated. Aqua had been afraid that her magic would struggle to come back, but what actually happened was just the opposite. Her magic came back with a vengeance. She was stronger than she'd ever been, much stronger. She could cast without giving it a second thought and sometimes she would without trying if her turbulent emotions got the better of her. She had learned to use magic while on powerful suppressant and now that there wasn't anything to hold her back, the floodgates had been opened. The intense inertia of it was overwhelming. White magic still wasn't happening despite her sessions with Naminé, and her black magic was vastly overpowered but she was adjusting.

"You can use magic?" Biggs inquired as Aqua meticulously thawed the hand she had accidentally frozen.

"Mm hmm," she responded coldly, hoping he would take the hint that she didn't want to talk about her abilities.

"Oh! I got ya!" Biggs exclaimed and began wiggling his defrosted fingers. "Geez, you've got some bite to ya! That wasn't a weak spell and you weren't even trying!"

"I had special training while in the Dark Capital." Aqua shrugged and released his hand.

"Anyway! What can we do for you? You want to know about the prison system right?" Biggs changed the subject and Aqua expressed her gratitude with a small smile.

"Yes. My sister was Purged with a former Denizen of Light who served in the Great War, and I was wondering where she would have been taken. They said they wanted to… _re-educate_  her?"

Biggs and Wedge exchanged glances.

"Sounds like they were wanting to use her in some kind of program or project. We wouldn't know much about any of that…" Wedge motioned to his lower-ranking garb.

"But things like that usually occur in the high-security prisons," Biggs added.

"Which are?" Aqua probed.

"Nalbina Dungeon…and…" the leaner knight snapped his fingers as the wheels in his brain slowly turned. "Help me out, Wedge. It's the big one…the one out in the middle of that desert…the tower…"

"Paramina?" Wedge shrugged.

"No, that isn't a prison," Aqua sighed and slouched in Biggs' lap. "That's a mountain pass that leads to the Dark Capital."

"I don't know... It starts with a 'P'," grumbled Wedge before he tossed back more of his alcoholic beverage.

"Palamecia!" Biggs exclaimed, clapping his hands together in triumph.

"Nalbina and Palamecia?" Aqua repeated.

Biggs nodded. "From what I have seen and heard, I would say those two would probably be your best bet."

"Yeah but she ain't getting anywhere near Palamecia," Wedge stated and wiped the remaining brew from his ill-groomed lips with the back of his hand.

"Right," Biggs agreed with a quick bob of his head. "I would suggest going to Nalbina if you're set on finding your sister."

"You'll have to go through the Barheim Passage to even get there. The Dark Rule purposely made those two prisons practically impossible to get to. I've never been to Palamecia Desert's prison but I would venture to say that the Nalbina Dungeon would be the tamer of the two beasts," Wedge explained.

"Go to Nalbina Fortress, restock, and prepare to go through the Barheim Passage. It'll take you in and out of the dungeon," Biggs instructed earnestly and Aqua could tell by the way that he spoke that he and Wedge had probably been stationed there at one point.

"The Barheim Passage has been abandoned for years and only an élite few know of its existence. The only reason Wedge and I know anything about it is because when we were stationed in Nalbina, we were required to aid the élite from Hollow Bastion track down escapees in that damn passage. Some prisoners had found it and tried to use it to escape but they didn't live to tell anyone of its existence." Biggs jaw clenched.

"Yeah," Wedge mumbled. "Axel and Saïx saw to that."

"The Nalbina Dungeons and even Nalbina Fortress itself are located in the far corner of the Palamecia Desert. The Barheim Passage is what connects the dungeon to that blasphemous desert," Biggs clarified, trying to give Aqua a clearer picture.

"But what if my sister isn't there? What if she isn't in Nalbina Dungeon?" the young woman questioned skeptically, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

"You aren't going to the Palamecian prison. I can tell you that much right now," Biggs said bluntly. "The only way anyone gets there is by airship or by glider."

"I have a chocobo…"

"It will die. You will die. There's a reason they turned that old watchtower into a prison. That tower is almost always surrounded by a feral sandstorm now. It makes that desert impossible to travel in on foot or on chocobo," Wedge countered matter-of-factly.

"Where is it located? Outside of Palamecia, right?" Aqua continued, ignoring their warnings. If Kairi wasn't in Nalbina Dungeon, then she _would_  be going to Palamecia. No questions asked.

"Listen to me." Biggs held Aqua by her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze. "Go to Nalbina. If she's not there, I suggest you hope that she'll come find you after she is ' _re-educated'_  or released because you aren't going to Palamecia. Even if you did somehow manage to reach that penal institution, you'd die before you got to her."

"Maybe…but I have to try," Aqua replied softly and pulled her chin out of Biggs' leather grip.

"Try all you want but I won't be telling you where that prison is. I refuse to be responsible for sending you to your death. I wouldn't be able to live with myself…" Biggs responded emotionlessly and crossed his arms, leather creaking as he moved.

"Very well," Aqua sighed. "But I do have one more request."

"What's that?" Biggs inquired suspiciously.

"As you probably already know…I'm a fugitive," Aqua confessed. "People are tracking me… Would you mind keeping this conversation between us? Please?"

"Not at all. We will do anything to help you out, blue eyes." Wedge grinned drunkenly.

"Take care of yourself," Biggs whispered as Aqua got out of his lap.

The young woman glanced back at him and smiled. "Thank you." Her gaze cut to Wedge. "Both of you."

* * *

Sora couldn't figure it out. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what Terra was up to. There was a catch. There  _had_  to be a catch. He had some kind of evil agenda or reason for letting him see Kairi. He just couldn't figure out what it might be.

Even though Sora thought there was some cruel, underlying reason Terra was being…tolerant, lenient and possibly even  _kind_ , the knight's subtle actions and behaviors said otherwise. Because of Terra's bizarre conduct, Kairi continued to improve both mentally and physically, but the knight seemed to be deteriorating before his eyes. During meal hours, instead of eating with the other guards and knights, Terra would come into Kairi's cell and give her all of his food. Kairi was almost like Terra's parasite. Terra never retrieved nourishment from his food, but Kairi always did. She would take his rations and had actually managed to gain some of her weight back while Terra proceeded to lose weight. His armor was looser, his eyes darker, his skin paler. The knight looked downright ill or diseased.

One day in Kairi's cell, Sora had even caught Terra staring at a black scorpion that crawled across the musty, stone floor. The Dark Knight's eyes intently followed the arachnid across the room and Sora was pretty sure he saw envy within the man's dark blue eyes. Was he jealous of the scorpion? Did he envy its ability to sting itself and put itself out of its misery? Why would someone  _want_ that ability? Who in their right mind would be envious of a scorpion? Was Terra that miserable? Was he that far gone?

"Sora, you lazy bum, get up!" Kairi demanded and began hauling Sora off her stale sleeping mat by his arm.

Sora had been working the dunes all morning and instead of sleeping off the day's grueling work in his cell like he normally did, Terra had gotten him right off the dunes and ruthlessly lugged him into Kairi's chamber. Sora would never turn down the opportunity to see Kairi, but that didn't change the fact that he was completely exhausted and wished Terra had  _at least_  let him rest for a little while.

"Give me a break, Kairi," Sora complained between soft chuckles, stretching his slim, aching muscles as he sat upright. He was playfully complaining on the outside but inside he was ecstatic that she had called him a 'lazy bum.' It was one of her favorite nicknames for him before they were imprisoned. Clearly, she didn't remember that consciously but subconsciously the memory was very present and that was enough for him.

Sora often worried if Kairi would ever be the same again. Would she ever be _Kairi_  again? Today was a good day, but tomorrow could be horrible. Although she was improving, she still had her bad days. Kairi still had days where all she would do was sit in the floor, scratch appalling holes into her arms, make paper flowers, and mumble one word sentences. Sora loathed those days. She remembered his face and his name, but everything else would elude her.

"I-I didn't ask to s-see you just so y-you c-could spend all day snoozing in here!" she pouted, placing her hands on her hips.

"I wanted to know… Well, I actually wanted to ask… Do you…? Do you know my sister?" Kairi ran her fingers though Sora's overgrown bangs, pushing his long, messy hair out of his face.

Sora smiled that she didn't stutter or stammer at all. Today was a good day. Today he could see that overall she was much better and he hated to admit it but it was probably thanks to Terra. He didn't know what he did or what he was doing but it was helping Kairi and that was all that mattered.

"Wait… Sister?!" the boy exclaimed and stumbled to his feet. "You remember Aqua?!"

Sora had been trying for months to get her to remember  _something_  outside of the prison but none of it had ever taken root within her defiled brain, so how did she know about Aqua? He had told her about Aqua thousands of times before but she never remembered the conversations. The only thing she ever remembered was his name and his face.

"I-I think… I had a dream about her…and T-Terra told me I h-had a s-sister…" Kairi explained quietly

Sora frowned.

"Terra," He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and began pacing around the cubicle.

"You don't like Terra," said the redhead. It wasn't really a question or a statement.

"I don't really trust him," Sora admitted. He was grateful to him, yes, but did he trust him? Definitely not.

"W-Why?"

"…Terra…isn't really a  _nice_  person…" The young man was unsure of how to describe the ruthless Dark Knight. He knew Kairi liked him and he wanted to respect that.

"I-I know he is kind of rough and v-violent sometimes b-but…I think he means well… H-he has a g-good heart." Kairi placed a hand over Sora's bony chest for emphasis. "Like you."

"Okay," Sora complied and grinned weakly. "I'll take your word for it."

"But, yeah, I know your sister. We all met each other at the same time. Remember?" Sora almost begged her to remember although he knew that memory had likely been exterminated like so many of the others. Honestly, he was surprised what remained of Kairi's desecrated brain hadn't oozed out of her ears by now…

Kairi's eyes were slightly dilated and distant as she tried to recall the event Sora spoke of. She chewed the inside of her cheek and gnawed at her lip but her mind was blank.

"I-I don't remember that," she finally said. "All I-I remember is that s-she was b-blue… She had blue hair and blue eyes. She would freeze flowers for me and she always took care of me…and I-I think she was mad at me the last time I saw her…"

The reminiscence was too much. Her dirty, skinned, and bruised legs began to wobble and Kairi violently plummeted to her knees. Her head throbbed and her eyes burned almost as much as the veins in her arms did. The room was spinning, her head was swimming, and her limbs had turned into jelly.

"Whoa!" Sora cried and stumbled after her just as Kairi was about to completely topple over. He crumpled to his knees as well and gracelessly caught her across his lap.

"Sora," she raved, her eyelids heavy and her eyes glossy, her pale hand reaching out for him and cupping his face.

Instinctively, Sora leaned into it and watched her despairingly.

"I know you," Kairi smiled but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I think I remember you… You… You are the one thing…that's…familiar…"

"D-Does that make s-sense?" Her eyes swelled with tears and the hand on Sora's grimy face began to tremble.

"It makes sense." Sora brushed her tears away as they fell.

Technically, Kairi  _was_  better. She looked healthier. She was able to retain some information and she had even regained bits and pieces of her personality. She wasn't a corpse anymore; she had some of her former disposition. But she had also regained the ability to feel temporary sorrow. The emotion didn't torment her for long and he doubted she understood it, but she still felt it. Sora couldn't really make sense of it but it seemed like she knew she should be sad even though she wasn't sure why. Even Kairi knew things weren't quite right.

"I'm tired…Sora." The redhead rested her head against his arm.

Sora nodded and slowly picked her up off the scratchy ground. Once he was sure he had the strength to lift her, he totted her back to her pallet, carefully placing her on the decaying mattress and pulling Terra's cape over her.

"I guess I'm the lazy bum now…huh?" Kairi giggled and her eyes twinkled a bit.

Sora grinned and nodded as she took one of his hands in both of hers and laced their fingers. He closed his eyes and brought her pale, trembling hands to his face and tried to remember a time before everything got so bad. When Kairi was still Kairi, when he still had hope, when he still thought he had a future, when he still thought she had a future as something other than a demented guinea pig, a time when he still believed in something, when he still had dreams…

* * *

"When do you want me to go get Sora out of Kairi's cell?" Roxas asked while Terra meticulously filled out Kairi's paperwork at his squeaky desk in his poorly lit quarters.

"After you give Kairi's reports to Borghen…or Lugae… Whoever the hell you give this shit to," Terra replied vacantly as he forged the paperwork in the most realistic way possible.

Filling out Kairi's journals and paperwork had been a struggle since she'd stopped receiving a pivotal part of her treatment. Terra and Roxas had to play it smart and fill everything out in a believable way while only adding bits and pieces of truth to keep the forms realistic in case someone decided to double-check everything.

Terra couldn't always keep the treatment out of Kairi's mouth with Dr. Lugae lurking around, but he did what he could. It wasn't enough for a substantial or permanent recovery but Kairi wasn't as dead as she was before. Her retention was better and she even remembered things sometimes. It wasn't much but it was all Terra could offer her.

"She mentioned Aqua on her own again today," Roxas said, leaning over the front of Terra's desk and trying to see what his fellow knight was writing.

"What did she say?" Terra inquired dryly, neither his eyes nor his pen left the parchment he scribbled on.

"She said something about Aqua being mad at her the last time she saw her?"

"That's right. Aqu—Blue told me that. Before we conducted the Purge in the Land of Departure, Blue and Kairi got into a fight about her magic use." Terra sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Did she say anything else?"

"No."

"Better than nothing, I guess. Progress is progress," the bronze knight mumbled.

"Terra?" the blonde Keyblade Master called timidly, his fingers tapping nervously on the dreary wood of Terra's desk.

"Hmm?"

"Not that I mind, I'm all about making Kairi's life easier, but why are we doing this? Why are  _you_ doing this?"

"…I…I can't say exactly." Terra dropped his pen, leaned back into his creaky chair, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He wasn't lying. He couldn't say because he wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he wanted less guilt. Maybe he wanted to be able to tell Blue that he did do something  _nice_  before he decided to be her unwanted sire. Maybe he wanted something  _pleasant_  to tell her while they were locked in a room together with nothing to do but fuck. Maybe he wanted to do something that would make her hate him less while they were forced to interact with one another, like maybe that would somehow make the experience more pleasant for both of them. Maybe he wanted to be a hero and help Blue save Kairi at the end of spring. Maybe he wanted to leave so she would have a better chance of saving Kairi instead of dying or becoming breeding stock to someone other than him. Maybe he wanted to be a coward and leave before Blue ever got there so he wouldn't be forced to see her and sire her children, or maybe he wanted to leave so he wouldn't have to watch them kill her. Maybe he just wanted to abandon  _everything_  and just leave. He didn't know. He was just creating options and because of the cunning eyes of the Seer Sages, he probably shouldn't say what they were. Terra felt that it would be safer for everyone if he kept his inconsistent thought process, his half-assed plans, and twisted logic to himself.

Terra had a few theories about the seers. He had a speculation that if he remained indecisive and inconclusive – which was as easy because it was second nature to him at this point – he could keep the seers from tracking some of his future actions.

Another theory he had was that the less people knew, the better. He thought that if fewer people knew of a certain plan or concept, the seers would have more trouble detecting and seeing it as well. These theories hadn't been tested but it made sense and that was enough for him.

"But I do want you to promise me something." Terra rose from his seat and began strolling around his desk.

"Sure," the dual Keyblade wielder complied willingly, grinning a bit.

"If something happens and I'm forced to leave…I want you to keep taking care of Kairi. Don't let them completely brainwash her again."

Roxas's eyes widened. "Terra…?"

"Promise me that you'll keep doing what we've been doing and that you'll do what you can for her." Terra sighed heavily, crossed his arms, and leaned against his desk.

"And…if I'm not here when…Aqua comes, help her save Kairi…"

"W-What?" Roxas reeled and staggered. Terra wasn't sure what surprised Roxas more, the fact that he had just said Aqua or the fact that he'd told him to help her rescue Kairi.

"Aqua is going to come for Kairi. It's been seen. If for whatever reason I'm not here…help her," the bronze knight almost pleaded and watched Roxas with sincere, somber eyes.

"I'll do what I can…"

"That's all I ask of you," Terra smirked and placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder in reassurance.

"But…Terra… Where are you going?" the younger knight asked hesitantly, looking at his superior with a troubled look on his face.

"Nowhere." Terra shrugged.

"I don't understand." The dual Keyblade wielder sighed and shook his head.

"You aren't supposed to. I think it'll be better if you don't."

"Fine. You win," Roxas held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright." Terra walked back to his paperwork, picked it up off the cluttered desk, and handed it to Roxas. "Take these to Borghen. I'll get Sora."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go get him?" Roxas offered and struggled not to drop the towering stack of paperwork. "I don't mind."

"No, I'll go. Spunky and I have some unfinished business to attend to. Besides, I need to clear my head anyway."

* * *

For what felt like forever, Terra walked up the spiraling, stone staircase and slowly but surely approached Kairi's cell. He reached in his pocked and pulled out Kairi's good luck charm and sighed.

_You better appreciate this, Blue._

The Dark Knight still wasn't completely convinced that he was doing this _entirely_  for Blue. If he was doing it for himself or worse, for Sora, he would never admit it. Not even to himself.

Groaning to frustration, he put the worthless knick-knack back into his unseen pouch.

"Have there been any problems?" he inquired once he reached the girl's door, straightening his gauntlets while he waited for the guards to open the cell door from him.

"No, Master Terra," responded one of the guards as he stood with shockingly pristine posture.

The brown-haired knight nodded.

The cubicle doors were opened and Terra entered Kairi's compartment.

Kairi was lying on her mat with Sora sitting upright next to her, the fingers of both of her hands woven in with his as he spoke quietly and tenderly to her.

"Terra!" Kairi cried excitedly, stumbling over Sora, causing the brown-haired boy to wince as she clumsily ran to the Dark Knight.

"Kairi! Don't!" Sora tried to seize the skirt of her blackened dress but couldn't catch her in time.

Kairi fearlessly ran to Terra and wrapped her arms around his cold, steel plated waist as if she hadn't seen him in years.

With a heavy exhale, Terra placed his hand atop her head and halfheartedly regarded the kind gesture. He still wasn't crazy about the contact but he'd learned to accept it and even reciprocate at times. Physical contact was something he had grown to loath after Blue's departure, but he was starting to accept it from Kairi.

_I should probably ask her how she feels about being an aunt... 'Hey Kairi! How would you like to be aunt to a kid that you will never be allowed to see?!' ...Fuck my life…_ Terra groaned mentally as Kairi continued to squeeze him like an oversized teddy bear.

"Hi, Red," Terra greeted in a dour tone while one hand rested atop her head and the other patted her back, desperately trying to ignore the fact that he could easily feel her ribs and spine...

"Hi, spunky," the knight greeted Sora as well but with a sneer within his headgear. Sora couldn't see his face but Terra knew that he knew he was sneering at him.

"Terra," Sora replied coldly as he rubbed some of the sweat and grim off the back of his balmy neck.

"Time to go, spunky," Terra stated pried Kairi off his form.

"Does h-he h-have to g-go?" Kairi whined like a child, clinging to one of Terra's ironclad arms.

"Yes, Kairi. Sora has to go," Terra grumbled impatiently. "Spunky! Up!" the knight bellowed when Sora continued to sit leisurely upon Kairi's simple bed.

Sora yawned and staggered to his bare feet before he outstretched his arms for Kairi who quickly left Terra's side and enthusiastically ran into his embrace.

"Y-You won't hurt him, will y-you?" Kairi whimpered and peered over her dainty shoulder as she held onto Sora for dear life. Terra assumed she was referring to Sora's incident with Saïx, or maybe she was finally seeing him for what he really was, he wasn't sure which.

"No. I won't hurt him."

"Promise!" Kairi demanded as she shielded Sora's body with her own. She placed one hand on her hip and pointed a stern finger at the knight.

"Light-damn it… Fine! I promise," Terra surrendered and held his tainted hands up innocently.

"And be nice to him!" Kairi scolded again and shook her finger at him.

"I'm always nice," Terra grumbled sarcastically as he hauled Sora's rusty chains off the floor.

Terra liked Kairi's better days. He liked it when she wasn't completely demented and did nothing but stare at the ceiling and laugh, but he wasn't really crazy about her scolding him either.

"Let's get this over with," he hissed quietly and walked towards Sora.

Kairi reluctantly stepped away from Sora so Terra could restrain him. She knew the routine.

The younger boy cursed under his breath and reluctantly offered Terra his wrists.

"Is this really necessary?" Sora groused.

"Yes. Given your track record, I can't take any chances." The knight carelessly shackled the Keyblade wielder's raw, burned wrists.

"I'll behave." Sora offered a goofy grin, but the knight only scowled inside his helmet in return.

"Yeah, I don't believe you." Terra knelt down and locked the restraints around Sora's chafed ankles.

"Well, I don't trust you either, so we're even," the younger male rolled his blue eyes and tried to scratch his nose with his elbow since his hands were confined.

"Trust me, the shackles are a better alternative over what I originally suggested we do to keep you from running." Terra stood and brushed the sand off his hands.

"What did you suggest?"

"I suggested we turn you into a paraplegic," the knight said causally.

"You what?!" the Light Keyblade wielder choked and his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Say goodbye, Kairi." Terra ignored him and made his way to the cell's metal door.

Kairi beamed radiantly at Sora and kissed his cheek causing him to blush a bit considering Terra was in the room, but to his complete surprise, the knight had turned his head politely away to let the duo have their moment. It was shockingly considerate, but once they were finished, Terra tugged at the chains on his limbs so hard it caused him to stumble forward.

"Let's go," the Dark Knight stated vacantly and yanked a hobbling, uncoordinated Sora out of the door.

* * *

They walked back to Sora's cell in silence. Sora had tried to converse with the knight a few times, but he was far from interested. A few times it seemed like he hadn't even heard him speak. Terra had that unreadable, indistinct air about him again so Sora ultimately stopped trying to communicate.

Cruelly, Terra cruelly shoved Sora into his cell and mercilessly slammed the door behind them.

"How do you know Aqua?" Sora asked as Terra knelt before him and began freeing his hands and feet.

A dark laugh erupted from Terra's throat. "That's a  _long_ , complicated, unpleasant story; one that I'll not be sharing with you."

"But…is she alright? She didn't get…hurt when you Purged Kairi and Eraqus, did she?" Sora asked sincerely and Terra could tell the kid was genuinely concerned.

"No. She didn't get hurt when the Purge was conducted," the knight answered coldly and jerked the cumbersome chains out of his way in silent vexation.

_She didn't get hurt until_ **after** _the Purge._

"But you know Aqua. You're the reason Kairi remembers her. Kairi told me that you told her about Aqua. So spill. What have you done to Aqua?"

"Nothing. She's fine," Terra responded vacantly and began coiling Sora's chains.

_For now…_ he added mentally.

"She better be. If I find out you did something to her I'll—" Sora shook his fist at Terra.

Terra laughed uproariously for the first time in weeks. "You'll what? What could you possibly do? You can barely walk!"

"You aren't looking too good yourself. Your armor seems a bit looser than it was the last time I saw you." Sora crossed his arms, satisfied with his jab.

"I'm on a diet," the Dark Keyblade Master said sarcastically and reached into his pocket.

_That or being nice is literally killing me._

"Here," the knight spat and recklessly threw Kairi's good luck charm at Sora's bare feet. "Aqua wanted you to have that back," he added while every muscle in his body tensed uncomfortably.

_Yeah, being nice might actually be killing me._

Sora fell to his knees in disbelief and gaped at the charm Terra had mercilessly taken from him a year ago.

Terra could tell the boy thought he would never see it again, and honestly, if it weren't for Blue, it wouldn't be at his feet now.

"You _have_  gone mad," the Light Keyblade wielder glared at the man he just knew was insane.

"Maybe."

"It isn't going to blow up if I touch it, is it?" Sora timidly touched the amulet.

"Yeah. I've spent the past year turning a good luck charm into a fucking bomb. It'll explode when it comes into contact with human flesh." Terra rolled his eyes.

"I don't get it. Why are you helping her? Why have you given this back to me? What kind of  _sick_  game are you playing?" Sora questioned angrily yet sincerely as his hands clawed at the ground until his nails bowed.

"I'm not sure yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean, kid," the knight sighed and turned to leave.

"Hey!"

Terra tensed and froze in his tracks.

"Thanks. I mean it. Thank you. I don't know why you're doing this…but I  _do_  know that I appreciate it… So...thanks," Sora continued, his eyes darting back and forth between the Dark Knight and Kairi's charm.

Terra had nothing left to say. He did what he came here to do. He didn't come here seeking thanks or redemption. He came here to rid himself of more of that gnawing guilt before he either did something much worse or disappeared for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Most of you probably know, but for those of you that don't, Biggs and Wedge are reoccurring Final Fantasy characters. They often have minor roles in the games and are often infantrymen, guards, etc. They are also often used for comic relief so I used them here. I based their appearance on the FF VI version of the duo. In VI, they actually worked for bad guys so that's kind of how I got the inspiration to use them as Dark Knights here. As always, you can look them up if you don't know what they look like or whom I am talking about!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks again for reading!


	30. My Sundown

Aqua scurried back to the counter, disposed of her tray, and the tossed Biggs and Wedge's empty mugs into a nearby tub that was filled to the brim with shot glasses, silverware, and dishes.

"Aqua," Xion called in a harsh whisper, leaning over the counter to ensure Aqua would hear her.

"Hey! I'm glad you're here!" Aqua cried excitedly. "I've got a lead on where Kairi is. Actually I have two but the point is—"

"Aqua!"

"If we play our cards right, we can get to both of them before summer," the older girl continued to ramble aloud. "Now we just need to find Riku and we can quit and get out of here and—"

"Aqua!" Xion grabbed Aqua's hands.

"What?" asked Aqua skeptically, her brow furrowed and confused.

"Riku and I think we just saw Zack…" Xion whispered and Aqua's heart dropped.

"What? Where?" Aqua seized Xion's shoulders.

"He was leaving the bar when we saw him. He was wearing a hood so we had trouble determining if it was really him or not, but we both thought it looked a lot like him."

Aqua ran off before the younger girl could finish. She pushed and shoved her way through the hoard of bumbling knights. The sea of armor was too thick and cumbersome and she was struggling to get through it. They bumped into her and their armor scraped at her skin and ripped holes in her clothing as she battled through them. In the distance, she could see a man in a hood. His face turned, revealing his profile and she knew instantly that it was Zack.

"Zack!" she called, not caring if she was drawing attention to herself.

Aqua grumbled and hissed under her breath in frustration as she fought her way through the swarm of armored monsters. It was crowded, very crowded. The night rush was occurring and she had to worm her way through the mass of men.

"Ugh! Move!" she spat as she hurdled through the last group of armored males.

Once she was out of the bar, the castle was deafeningly quiet. Apparently, everyone was at the bar in the south wing and not in the east wing where the living accommodations were.

Aqua ran down the sepia halls and over the lush, coral rugs that marked the walkways. She peered down the maze like hallways and even into a few of the opened doors that lined the halls. She would never think Tarnen Palace was like a maze again. Doma Castle made Tarnen's labyrinth of hallways and stairwells look simple.

"Zack!" the Light Keyblade wielder continued to cry breathlessly as she sprinted down the hall, helplessly checking every crease and crevasse for the Opposition member but it was like he had disappeared into thin air.

"Zack," she whimpered once more before leaning against a nearby wall of jagged, umber bricks in frustration.

_It never fails, Zack, you always leave me even when you aren't necessarily trying to. You abandon me just like-_

Aqua started running again before she could compare him to a certain man in bronze armor. After running down a few more corridors, she saw a shadow turn the nearest corner and increased her pace to catch up with it.

"Zack!" she cried yet again but when she turned the corner, the man she found wasn't Zack.

Aqua crashed into a thin carapace of black and crimson. A sleek helmet that held her terrified reflection glared down at her. Scarlet gauntlets held her arms and chivalrously helped her regain her balance.

"Excuse me, Miss," Vanitas hummed, giving an impressive imitation of a gentleman.

_He doesn't recognize me…_

The Child of Light tried to remove the terrified expression from her face and prepared to play along.

"Oh, it's okay," said Aqua calmly although she felt like screaming bloody murder. Her body quaked and her voice threatened to shake and crack but somehow, she managed to keep her composure.

"It's my fault for bumping into you," she added shyly and held her head down so he wouldn't get a good look at her face.

"Looking for someone?" the knight purred softly and placed his rough hand under her chin, gently inclining her head upward, causing their eyes to meet.

Vanitas's act was impressive. It really was. If she didn't know any better, she might have actually taken him for a gentleman. Unfortunately for him, she did know better. Aqua knew Vanitas well, too well. She also knew Dark Knight _etiquette_. She knew how they were trained to be savages to the enemy but absolute gentlemen to Servants of Darkness. It was all an act to convince the populace that the Dark Rule was a good, kind thing that was _forced_ to do cruel things for the greater good.

"Yes, actually," she replied quietly, afraid her voice would betray her and show how nervous she was. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to proceed so she was just going with it. If he wanted to put up a façade, then so would she.

"I'm looking for a man with black hair and blue eyes. He's tall, well-built, kind of goofy." She smiled, regaining some of her confidence.

"Client of yours?" the Dark Keyblade Master inquired politely as his thumb stroked her chin and the corners of her mouth.

Aqua licked her lips and chewed her bottom lip. "Yes. He asked me to meet him back at his room but I forgot where his room is and I wasn't able to catch up to him after he left the bar."

"Hmmm." Vanitas pretended to be concerned. "That's too bad."

"So…have you seen him?" she asked as he back collided with the nearest wall.

 _Crap,_ she thought when she realized she couldn't create distance between them anymore.

"No, I'm afraid not," responded the knight eloquently. "But if he was willing to leave you all alone, he clearly doesn't deserve your company."

"Oh?" Aqua almost scoffed as Vanitas subtly pressed against her. She wanted to retch when she felt him against her body but she couldn't. To make matters worse she could smell blood on his hands and strong liquor on his breath.

_That explains why he is having trouble recognizing me._

"Yes. I would _never_ leave someone as pretty as you by yourself." He ran a hand over one of Aqua's hips. "I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

"Well, he isn't a man of your rank." The corners of Aqua's mouth curved a bit.

"No?" he inquired although he knew good and damn well he was of the elite and only a few men from Hollow Bastion could even compete with his rank. Vanitas might even be the official Captain by now. Unless Terra had somehow regained his honor in her absence.

"No. He isn't one of the elite from the Dark Capital."

Vanitas was getting closer and closer to her. It was suddenly becoming painfully clear how far this little act was going but she couldn't stop now. She wasn't sure which was worse, Vanitas thinking she was an escort or Vanitas recognizing her.

"Then you already know your night would be much more rewarding if you spent it with me," the Dark Knight said suggestively and removed his helmet.

Aqua's guts rolled as his golden eyes bore into her. Vanitas wasn't necessarily _unattractive._ That wasn't what disturbed her. It was his demeanor, his tendencies, and his actions that make her sick. Vanitas was disgusting on the inside and that was what made her want to vomit.

"I do," she replied confidently.

"Have you ever shared a bed with a high-ranking Dark Knight before?" Vanitas questioned gruffly and positioned himself between her legs, boring his hips into hers gingerly.

"I have," she answered and held her head back in a feeble attempt to distance herself from him, but she realized it probably looked more like an invitation than a rejection. "Many times," she continued truthfully and haughtily because technically, she _had_ shared a bed with a high-ranking knight before. Just not in the way Vanitas was thinking.

Vanitas chuckled. "In that case, would you like to again?"

Aqua wanted to curse when he wasn't catching her subtle hints she was throwing his way. She would admit that she was toying with him on purpose and she was slightly liberated by the fact that she was able to manipulate him with her looks and charm, but she wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible now that manipulating Vanitas was no longer beneficial to her pursuit of Zack.

"I-I," Aqua stuttered as Vanitas began kissing at her neck, "I-I don't know, um, I shouldn't blow off a client... That is u-unprofessional."

Vanitas was _not_ subtle. She could feel his arousal being firmly pressed against her as his lips and fangs grazed against her throat. His aggression was making it harder and harder for her to keep up the act until she could figure out the perfect way to get out of this situation, preferably without blowing her cover, but that was becoming less and less likely.

"I'm sure your boss will understand." The knight lifted her off the ground and forced her legs around his waist, his hands journeying into the sides of her skirt. "Just tell her that Vanitas requested your company for the night."

"Oh, I know who you are." Aqua smirked, her eyes dazzling shining mischievously.

Vanitas reeled for a moment but his confusion was interrupted.

_"Vanitas!"_

Their eyes followed the sound of the voice and when Aqua saw Axel's form blazing down the hallway towards them, she quickly hid her face behind Vanitas' neck. She knew Vanitas was a bit too tipsy and unobservant to recognize her but she didn't think Axel would be as oblivious, nor did he look as drunk. If anyone were going to recognize her, it would be Axel, not Vanitas.

"What?" Vanitas snarled, still forcefully holding Aqua up and against the wall.

Aqua's face heated as she thought about her provocative, inappropriate, compromising situation. Vanitas was between her legs and he was holding her up against a wall, his hands inside her skirt firmly clinging to her hips. This was a nightmare.

"I'm kind of busy," he added.

"I see can that." Axel sneered. "But I really need to get to the Palamecia so I can take these expansion plans for the prison to Borghen."

"It can wait until morning," Vanitas barked and Aqua turned her face in the opposite direction of them both. She subtly rested her cheek on the rough metal that covered Vanitas' shoulder since she couldn't run away like she wanted.

"Xemnas will skin us alive if this pit stop that _you_ demanded puts us off schedule. You know he wants you two to reach Naefre in two days and I'm supposed to be in Palamecia no later than tomorrow," the red-haired knight chided, his foot tapping impatiently.

"You know the only reason you're going to Palamecia is because they want you to psychoanalyze dumbass and make sure he hasn't gone off the deep end. The expansion plans you're giving Borghen are a ploy. Sure, they need to be taken to bonehead Borghen but you and I both know the Overlords could _easily_ do that themselves. Your _real_ job is to babysit Terra for a few days and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Aqua's eyes widened. What did they think Terra was up to? What had he done? What was he doing? Or what was he going to do?

"It's not _that_ important. In fact, it's actually pretty fucking pathetic. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" Vanitas' smirk grew larger and Axel's scowl grew deeper. "So, I repeat, it can wait."

"It can but I'm not staying here all night just so you can get laid!" Axel roared and Aqua grimaced when Vanitas's claws took their anger at Axel out on her innocent hips. "I don't want to go to Palamecia _at all_ and I want this _mission_ to be as quick and painless as possible. I want to get there and get it over with and I can't do that if I'm waiting around here while you play around with filthy call girls!"

"Fuck you!" Vanitas growled, his hands heating on her Aqua's hips, burning her with Dark Fire as his temper flared.

"I'll give you an hour. Not that you need that long. Darkness knows you can't possibly last longer than two minutes." Axel rolled his eyes.

"Fuck _you_!" Vanitas repeated between clenched teeth.

"I'll wait in the bar, so just come get me when you are finished contracting whatever diseases that whore has," Axel countered cooly and his footsteps began retreating.

Aqua began to reflect on what Biggs and Wedge had told her about the Palamecia Desert prison. She realized that Axel apparently needed a ride to the prison since the only way to get there was by airship or by glider. Aqua assumed that Xemnas and Vanitas (and probably the Dark Overlords in general) had some unfinished business with DiZ and they were going to play him a _friendly_ visit in one of their luxurious airships, and on the way there, Axel was going to be dropped off at the Palamecian prison to give the man called Borghen expansion plans.

_Why are Vanitas and Xemnas going to Naefre? And why are they planning on expanding a prison? Do they need even more room for the mass incarceration they practice? This isn't good._

"Sorry you had to hear all that." The faux gentleman was back and he was smiling at her. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't apologize for burning and clawing her hips. He probably didn't even notice he had done so. He wasn't as in control of his emotions and powers as Terra was nor was he as considerate.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," Aqua said with vast amounts of scorn.

Vanitas gave her a funny look again. She knew he was putting the pieces together and she smiled smugly at him.

"Have we met?" Vanitas' fierce eyes narrowed and his head cocked.

"You don't remember me, do you?" the Child of Light inquired innocently as she batted her eyes at him.

"No, sweetheart. I'm sorry I don't," he responded courteously and wormed his hands around to her backside, gripping her rear firmly with both hands.

Aqua casually shifted one of her legs between his until she was able to ram her knee into his groin. Vanitas coughed and reeled backward, instantly dropping her back to her graceful feet. Before he regained his composure, she had completely frozen him to the nearest wall. She held her hands out in front of her and cast Blizzaga until only the knight's head was free.

"Remember me now?" Aqua spat.

Vanitas laughed uproariously, his façade instantly fading as the menace she knew him to be instantly reappeared. His eyes glowed and his chortles were gruff and guttural.

"Well, if it isn't the bluebird!" he bellowed. "I didn't recognize you outside your cage!"

Aqua glared at him.

"How's life on the outside?" He was buying time. Aqua could already see him slowly melting her icy encasement.

"Bye, Vanitas." Aqua began walking away, attempting to heal her violated hips as she departed.

"You didn't answer my question, you bitch!" Vanitas roared in frustration, frantically trying to free himself.

"Awe, Vanitas, what happened to _sweetheart_?"

Vanitas' fangs ground in his mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, _sweetheart_ ," he said between clenched teeth. "Are you still not able to use your precious white magic?"

Her hands glowed as she conjured Cure on her hips but it only soothed the pain. It didn't heal the burns or the claw marks.

"I'll take that as a no." Vanitas chuckled.

Aqua could hear the ice cracking so she casually cast another frosty layer onto the snare.

"Ugh! I hate you! If I wasn't under strict orders not to kill you, I would!" he shouted, wrenching his head back and forth like a man possessed.

Aqua's eyes dilated and her blood ran cold as she looked back at him. "What?"

Vanitas snickered darkly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Have fun thawing," she countered and turned to leave again.

"Enjoy your life on the outside while you can, bluebird!" Vanitas howled. "In fact, you should probably enjoy life in general while you still have the chance!"

The Light Keyblade wielder turned slightly and they held each other's gaze.

"You better pray to Darkness that Terra still loves you. If he doesn't, then you and I will be spending _a lot_ more time together. That or you'll be spending a lot more time with your parents."

Aqua wasn't breathing. She wasn't moving and her heartbeat had slowed. What did they know? What were they planning? She didn't know but she did know she had to get out of here and get moving before these supposed prophecies came to pass. She wanted to run from them although deep down she knew it was impossible to do so.

"Goodbye, Vanitas," she said calmly as she turned on her heel to leave.

* * *

It wasn't until the Keyblade wielder reentered the drunken lounge that she remembered Axel would be there waiting for Vanitas, which meant she might not be able to get to Xion or Riku without being seen.

As fate would have it, Axel was sitting at a table right behind the bar where Xion was silently alternated between cleaning dishes and pouring drinks. He was facing the bar's entrance so he would know the instant Vanitas returned, which was bad news for Aqua because he would see her the moment she crossed the threshold. There was no avoiding it. She could only hope for the best.

Taking in a deep breath, Aqua prepared herself for the confrontation that would surely occur once she walked by the Dark Knight. Axel wasn't stupid. None of the knights were but Axel was exceptionally clever. Unfortunately, he didn't miss much.

"Hey!" Axel called the instant she passed his table. He seized her arm and whirled her around to face him. Just as expected, Axel's wit didn't disappoint. "You're the girl who was with Vanitas. Where is he?"

"He's coming." Aqua gave Axel a cocky grin, knowing it wouldn't be long before he recognized her face. "He had to cool off."

Axel's piercing, green eyes narrowed and his brow knitted.

"Aqua?" he grumbled before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His eyes closed against their will and his head bashed onto the table. Seconds later, the Dark Knight began to snore lightly.

"I've really got to get you to teach me that spell," Aqua mused with a chuckle as Xion released the back of Axel's neck.

The younger girl smiled and giggled nervously before putting a strand of dark hair behind one of her ears. "Sleep isn't that complicated, really. I'm sure you could learn it easily. You're the best caster among us by far."

"Status ailments have never really been my thing." Aqua shrugged. "That's always been more your area of expertise."

Aqua was sure she could cast status ailments like Sleep, Blind, and Silence, but they just weren't as fun to learn. They were a bizarre, unique realm of magic that drifted somewhere between white and black magic. They lacked the aggression of black magic spells and the solely defensive properties of most white magic. Some status ailments were even considered forms of white magic by certain masters. Either way, Aqua wasn't too keen on using them and the few times she had tired they weren't that potent. Xion on the other hand, was excellent at using status elements. Clearly. She just put an elite knight to sleep effortlessly.

"He almost looks…approachable," Xion said in awe as she fearlessly examined the sleeping Dark Knight.

"Yeah. Don't let the human quality fool you." Aqua huffed and crossed her arms. Sadly, she knew good and darn well how _innocent_ and _approachable_ a Dark Knight could look while they slept.

"Which one is he?"

"Axel," Aqua replied her tone terse. "One of the better ones, I'll admit, but still a Dark Knight nonetheless."

Xion was almost as baffled as she had been the first time she saw human qualities in a Dark Knight. Aqua had been shocked to see Terra's face, his human face, just like Xion was shocked to see Axel sleeping peacefully with an innocent, untroubled look on his face.

"Did you find Zack?" Xion asked.

"No, but I found Vanitas." Aqua sighed.

Xion paled. "Where is he? He's another knight too, right?"

"He is…kind of…frozen in a corridor in the east wing…" The blue girl giggled nervously.

"He's what?" Riku's voice boomed and Aqua flinched.

"He might have run into me, and we might have gotten into a compromising position. Then I might have frozen him to a wall…" Aqua smiled like a child who knew it was about to receive a lecture or another form of punishment.

"Light-damn it, Aqua!" Riku slapped his forehead. "So much for keeping a low profile..."

"And Xemnas might be here…" she added apprehensively.

"Why is Xemnas here?" the silver-haired Keyblade Master asked softly.

Aqua debated on whether or not to tell him that Xemnas and Vanitas were going to Naefre. It wasn't a pleasant message and she didn't really want to be the one to inform him of it. That was his home and his Master. She knew that Riku knew Naefre had a huge target on it's back but she doubted he knew how bad it was. She did though. She knew how the Overlords lusted for that chunk of neutral territory.

"He's going to Naefre with Vanitas." Aqua could almost hear Riku's heart dropping.

"Did they say why?" he asked, his pale eyes distant and cold as they bore holes into the floor.

"No, but I assume it's nothing good." Aqua saw no point in lying to him. No matter how painful it might be.

"Right," Riku nodded. "So…I'm guessing you didn't catch Zack?"

"Um, no. I ran into Vanitas and by the time I got away from him I knew Zack was long gone."

"That's too bad. I was hoping you could convince him to help us," Riku admitted and crossed his arm. "He would've been a valuable asset inside a Dark Realm prison."

"Anyway," Aqua shook her head. "We need to leave. Vanitas was hinting at premonitions and prophecies and honestly, I'm scared. They _know_ something."

Riku's brow knitted. "What did he say?"

"He said… He acted like I was going to die… He said that we might be spending more time together or I'll be spending more time with my parents." Aqua shivered and rubbed her arms to ward off the unnatural cold. "Anyway. We need to go to Nalbina Dungeon. Riku, do you know where that is?"

"Yeah. It's outside of the Nalbina Fortress. I've been there a few times. It's on eastern edge of the Palamecian Desert. I think… I'll have to check the map to make sure…"

"The Dark Knights I talked to said it was in the Palamecian Desert. They said to go to Nablina Fortress and restock before we used the Balhiem Passage to sneak into the Nalbina Dungeon."

"Okay…" Riku ran a hand through his bangs and exhaled harshly. "That sounds challenging but we can work out the details later. For now we need to go back to our room, make a plan, and get out of Doma."

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Ventus inquired, looking strangely calm for someone who'd just heard that Xemnas, Axel, and Vanitas were inhabiting the same castle as them.

It hadn't taken Aqua and the others long to explain their current situation so now they were all sitting at the small table near the room's fireplace and staring at Riku's map as if they could teleport into it if they stared long enough.

Aqua sighed and looked across the table at Riku. "Do you know where the Palamecian Desert prison is?"

"The what?" His silver brow furrowed.

"The knights that told me out Nalbina Dungeon also told me about a place called the Palamecian Desert prison."

"I've never heard of such a thing…" the Dark Keyblade Master admitted, a bewildered look on his face.

"What do you mean you've never heard of it!?" Aqua reeled.

"I mean, I have never heard of a prison in Palamecia," he reiterated.

"That's impossible!" Aqua cried in vexation. "The ex-knights told me that Kairi is probably either in Nalbina Dungeon or in the Palamecian Desert's prison."

"Look." Riku rubbed the back of his neck. "If that place exists, I don't know anything about it. I know about Palamecia and the desert that surrounds it but I had no idea Palamecia had a prison."

"They said it was a tower and that the only way to get there was by airship or by glider. They said it was in the middle of the Palamecian Desert," Aqua explained.

"Tower?" Riku asked skeptically, "There's an old watchtower in the center of that desert. They used it for a military base during the war but it was abandoned afterwards."

"Apparently not because Axel was talking about going there."

Riku nodded and glared down at the map before them. "Alright, this is the Palamecian Desert." He encircled a large golden mass on the map with his fingertip.

The area was a wasteland with only two dots around its center. She immediately assumed they either indicated a landmark or a town. Every other form of civilization was located _around_ the hazardous desert. The desert itself was clearly uninhabitable, which only proved further that what Biggs and Wedge said about the desert was true.

"The city of Palamecia itself is located on the western edge of the desert." Riku pointed to a small black star that indicated the massive capital's location.

"I'm guessing this Palamecian Desert is named after this city, right?" Naminé asked and leaned over the table to get a better look.

"Right. Palamecia itself is a big Dark Ream ally. Big supporter of the Dark Rule after the war." Riku rolled his icy eyes. "Anyway, the tower Aqua is talking about is located outside of Palamecia. Somewhere…"

There was a long drawn out pause where they watched Riku stare holes into the map.

"…About…here!" he exclaimed when he located a small, blue dot in the middle of the golden mass.

"That's almost in the middle of that desert…" Aqua groused.

"Exactly. That's why it made such a good military base during the Great War and a kind of communications tower before it. They used it for trade or something like that…" Riku shrugged. "And apparently, it's a prison now?" he inquired with a raised brow as he looked across the table at Aqua.

"That's what the Dark Knights told me…" she replied softly.

"Makes sense." Ven reclined in his chair and folded his arms. "It's isolated, it's big, and hard to get to. Most people probably think it's just an abandoned watchtower. It's one of their _secret_ prison units."

"It's perfect for a high security prison. No one would ever think of it or even want to go there," Naminé agreed with a bob of her blonde head.

"I never would've thought of it being a prison," Riku admitted.

"The men I talked to said you can only get to it by air. Snow would die if I tried to use him to get there," Aqua said glumly and scratched her dry, smothered scalp. "But we aren't going there. Not yet, anyway."

"You want to go to Nalbina first?" Riku asked while scanning the map for Nalbina's location.

"I suppose. That's what the deserters told me to do. In fact, they told me not to go to Palamecia at all, but if Kairi isn't in Nalbina Dungeon, I don't have a choice."

"But if the only way to get there is by air, how are we going to get there?" Xion asked.

"Good question. I haven't had time to give it much thought. I guess we'll deal with it when or if we have to." Aqua closed her eyes and kneaded her temples. She felt a headache coming on.

They wouldn't be having this discussion if Terra would've come with them. They could just use his Keyblade glider to get there, but Terra _didn't_ come with them. Aqua grimaced at the thought of how much easier this would all be if she'd been able to convince him to come with them.

"So for now the plan is to go to Nalbina Dungeon on the eastern side of the Palamecian Desert?" Riku stared at Aqua for confirmation.

The Keyblade wielder nodded without opening her eyes or ceasing her temple kneading.

With Aqua's silent approval, the small group began packing up and preparing to leave. Xion and Aqua didn't offer to remove their less than modest apparel. They didn't have the time. It would just have to wait.

"Did we get everything?" Ventus scanned the room for anything they might be leaving behind even though it was kind of silly to considering they didn't have much to begin with.

"No, I think we got everything," Xion confirmed before she too gave the room a second glance.

"We should split up," Ven suggested. "We'll be less suspicious and it'll be easier for us to hide that way. And if we run into Xemnas, Vanitas, or Axel, not all of us will get captured."

"Agreed." Riku nodded. "You and Aqua should go first. She needs to get out of here. Like always, they want her. We are just excess."

Aqua sighed. She hated living with a target on her back.

"Right. We will meet by the tree where we left Snow. If we aren't there in an hour-" Ven started.

"Got it." Riku interrupted. "Go."

"Take care of them." Ventus hesitated and glanced back at his sisters.

"With my life." Riku smiled.

"We'll see you in about half an hour," Aqua beamed at the others before exiting into the barren hall with Ven.

The duo heatedly walked down the hallways, checking the winding corners and passageways carefully before proceeding.

"I don't like how quiet it is," Ven whispered, his eyes darting around the vacant corridors of the castle.

"The layout of this place doesn't help," Aqua replied and turned to go down the next hallway.

"So how exactly are we getting into this dungeon?" the blonde Keyblade wielder inquired, wanting to keep the eerie silence away.

"We have to go through the Barhiem Passage," Aqua responded softly, peering around another corner. "It's a passage that connects the dungeon to the Palamecian Desert."

"That sounds—" Ven's response was cut short by Aqua covering his mouth and pushing him flat against a wall.

_"Are you sure it was her?"_

Aqua's skin crawled as she recognized the cool, gruff voice echoing off the thick stonewalls. She compressed her back to the nearest wall and Ven mimicked her actions.

" _Xemnas…_ "Aqua mouthed silently.

"Positive," Axel replied.

"Who else could've frozen me in this corridor!" Vanitas bellowed over the sound of shattering ice. Apparently, the knight was still trying to free himself.

"She's gotten stronger," Lord Xemnas mused.

"No shit!" Vanitas countered.

"Should I go after her?" the fiery Dark Knight asked politely.

"No," the Overlord countered. "Capturing her now might corrupt the flow of time and events. We should avoid making any drastic moves that could change what has already been seen. Besides, we did not come here to deal with this. The bluebird is still _Terra's_ charge whether he wants to acknowledge that or not. And consider this little _respite_ of yours is over," Xemnas scolded. "Axel, go to the Hildagarde and tell the ship's captain we will leave for Naefre as soon as Vanitas composes himself."

"Yes, my lord," Axel replied, his footsteps retreating down the opposite end of the hall.

"Oh, and Axel," the Overlord called. "You should know, when you return to Hollow Bastion, you and Vanitas are in for the punishment of a lifetime."

"For what?" Vanitas snapped.

"For impudence!" Xemnas roared, "And for being incapacitated by two incompetent girls!"

Aqua smirked and Ven fought the urge to chuckle.

"Yes, my lord," both Dark Knights surrendered.

It grew deathly quiet and the pounding of Xemnas' heavy footsteps grew closer and closer. He was heading straight for the corridor Ven and Aqua were hiding in.

Aqua held her breath and Ven tried his best to defy physics and pass through the wall he was pressed against. Luckily for the Children of Light, Xemnas was too angry to be very observant and walked right past them and vanished further down the poorly lit hallway.

"Let's get out of here before he comes back and Vanitas gets free," Ventus whispered and began hauling Aqua down the hall.

They weren't running through the fortress before, but they definitely were now.

* * *

"So they're thinking about putting more structures around the base. The tower will still be the main structure, of course, but they're thinking about building other smaller towers around it," Axel explained dryly as he referred to one of the blueprints of the prison's expansion plans, pointing to the specific areas where the new establishments would be placed.

Terra knew he should be paying more attention but all he could do was watch Eraqus, Sora, and the other prisoners slave away in the blazing sand around him. The cries, moans, and groans of the prisoners were louder than normal. The heat was more unbearable, the sounds were more unpleasant, and his sweat was more profuse. Everything was worse. He was completely fucking miserable.

Axel held up the blueprints and pointed to spots on the designs for Terra and Borghen to see but Terra couldn't hear his words. It was like he had temporarily gone deaf to everything but the whimpers and bellows of the innocent. The cries were amplified until the only sound resonating in his skull was a sharp, shrill ringing. His fellow knight was muted. His mouth moved and Terra knew he was speaking, but he couldn't hear a thing he said.

Terra nodded when Axel and Borghen looked at him expectantly but his royal blue eyes didn't leave Eraqus's form. Where would he be if Eraqus had taken him instead of Xehanort? How different would his life be? Would he be _happy?_ Would he know what that felt like? Would he be with _her?_ Would Kairi be here? Would Blue still be destined for her demise at the end of spring?

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't take the proposition Xehanort offered him, could he? Was he capable of that? Could he lock Blue up and use her as his own personal plaything until he impregnated her? Would he be able to live with himself knowing that child would be doomed to an existence similar to his own? The life of a monster? A puppet?

Agreeing to breed would spare Blue's life but at what cost? He knew her. He knew she would rather die than mother his hell spawn. Blue would rather die than live in a prison for the rest of her life as breeding stock, and in the end, it would probably come to that. Death would be merciful, but what if he didn't do it and she was turned into breeding stock anyway? Wouldn't she rather it be he than some stranger or Vanitas?

_Darkness, help me. What am I supposed to do?_

"I don't know. What do you think, Terra?" Axel's words blared through the deafening confusion.

"Sounds good to me." Terra faked it, nodding as he spoke.

"I wasn't asking if it sounded good," Axel countered impatiently and handed the blueprint back to General Borghen.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," the Keyblade Master raved and trekked through the sand in the opposite direction of the two men. He felt like he was suffocating. He felt like he needed air even though he was outside.

"Terra! Snap out of it!" Axel blazed in front of Terra, halting his advance and pushing at his metal chest.

"Let go of me," he warned ominously, his tone and posture dangerous and menacing.

"We need you to help us make a decision," General Borghen croaked.

"About what? It's a fucking prison! Do what you need to do!" Terra shouted and tried to hold his throbbing head in his hands, forgetting that he was wearing his helmet.

"Master Terra." A guard approached the men and stood erect before Terra. "Dr. Lugae is demanding to know if you want to give Kairi her treatment today or if you want him to. He also said he didn't want to get bitten today."

"Tell him I'll do it," he responded, mercilessly shoved Axel out of his way, and began walking towards the prison's crumbling entrance.

"You can't," Borghen barked and hit Terra upside the head with the rolled blueprints. "You have to help me with these layouts and blueprints!"

Terra growled. It wasn't his fault Borghen was incompetent and incapable of making the proper decisions regarding the prison's expansion plan on his own. All he had to do was choose the ones he liked and have Axel take them it back to Hollow Bastion where the final decision would be made. But no, nothing could ever be that simple. General Borghen had to drag him and Axel out here and force them to endure this pointless process with him because Borghen didn't have a fucking clue.

Borghen didn't want the Overlords to think little of him. He probably wanted to use the decision regarding the prison's expansion as an opportunity to suck up, which was why he had roped Terra and Axel into helping him even though this _clearly_ wasn't their area of expertise. Borghen merely _assumed_ Terra and Axel would make the adjustments to the blueprints and make the best decisions regarding the expansion plan, which he would ultimately get credit for. That or he wanted to make Terra and Axel his scapegoat in case the Overlords didn't approve of the decision regarding the pivotal prison. Or maybe he was just lazy.

_Whatever the reason, he's still an asshole._

Terra turned to face the guard, fighting the urge to set Borghen and these damn blueprints on fire. "Tell Roxas I'm busy and that he is to give Kairi her medication."

"He can't, Master Terra, he has been sent to interrogate Master Yen Sid."

"Tell Dr. Lugae to do it." General Borghen waved his chubby hands for the guard to depart.

"No, I can do it," Terra insisted.

"Just tell Lugae to do it. It's what he is for," Axel argued and stretched his arms over his head. Axel seemed to be bored and frustrated with the Borghen blueprint fiasco as Terra was. He clearly wasn't in the mood to deal with the chubby general by himself.

"Make up your mind, Terra," Axel groused.

_I can't._

"We need to look over another set of blueprints first," Borghen rasped.

_I can't._

"Hey, are you okay?" Terra could almost feel Axel's hands on his shoulders.

_No._

"Sir, should I tell Dr. Lugae to give the patient her medication?"

_No._

"Terra, are you deaf?" General Borghen hacked.

_No._

"Terra?" Axel probed.

_I can't do this._

"Master Terra?" the guard queried.

_I can't do this._

"Shut up," Terra whispered.

"What?" Axel replied in bewilderment.

"Shut up," he repeated and his fists balled so tightly his gauntlets threatened to rip apart the flesh of his palms.

"Imbecile. What's wrong with him?" Borghen squawked and pointed a stocky finger at Terra's broad frame.

"Shut up!" he echoed again as darkness shot from his fingertips and stained the tawny sand beneath him.

"Terra, calm down." The other knight gently shook his shoulders.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Terra knocked Axel's hands off his steel-plated shoulders.

"Lunacy! He has gone mad!" The bronze knight could barely make out the sound of Borghen's annoying, guttural voice over the shrill ringing that had begun reverberating in his ears again.

Terra roughly yet clumsily shoved Axel out of his way, barreled through General Borghen (who almost toppled over like a lopsided top) and ran toward the endless field of monstrous sand.

"Terra!" Axel's voice faintly sounded within the high-pitched ringing.

Not knowing what else to do, Terra ran. He ran as if he could run away from the confusion, the burden, the choices, the pain, and the guilt. He ran from his responsibility, from his past, his present, and even his grim future. He ran from things that he knew he could never truly run from but that didn't stop him from trying.

Terra threw his Keyblade out in front of him and his glider appeared.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Axel shouted, summoning a massive firewall between Terra and his glider.

"Take it down," Terra growled and held his hands out in front of him aggressively, ready to launch a rock through Axel's head if he had to.

"No! Not until you get a fucking grip! I'm not about to let you do something you'll regret."

It was becoming more and more clear that the whole point of Axel's little _visit_ to the prison was to keep him from doing something stupid. This probably wasn't about blueprints or expansion plans at all. It was probably about monitoring his behavior.

"Axel, take it down or I swear to Darkness I'll kill you." Terra meant it and Axel knew he meant it.

Axel's green eyes dilated with confusion and hurt. Dark Knights were never supposed to _voice_ threats to their fellow knights or anyone else from the Dark Rule, especially in the name of Darkness. Those kinds of threats were treasonous.

Dark Knights were never supposed to _say_ they would kill one another. Terra knew this. He knew this rule well for he constantly avoided accidentally saying it to Vanitas but this time, he _meant_ to say it. He wanted Axel to know that he was dead serious, that he would leave no matter what, even if it meant killing him in cold, traitorous blood.

"Why?" Axel questioned and summoned his chakrams.

Terra had been getting that question a lot lately and hearing it again only infuriated him.

"Why? Why?!" Terra bellowed so loudly that his helmet vibrated. "Why does everyone always expect me to have a reason? Why does there have to be one? Maybe I don't have one? Did anyone ever think about that? Maybe I can't make sense of anything anymore! Maybe all reason and rational has left me and I'm just acting on impulse because I don't know what else to do!"

Guards had surrounded him and they were ready and willing to help Axel reel him back in, maybe even imprison him for intentionally uttering treasonous words against a fellow knight, against the Dark Rule itself.

 _No. I'm not going to be reeled back anymore. I'm not going to be a puppet anymore. I'm not doing_ **any** _of it anymore! I'm not going to be a puppet and I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not._

Terra backed away from the guards closing in on him and began digging his feet into the sand to get closer to his element.

_I'm sorry, Kairi. I'm sorry, Aqua. I can't. I just can't. I thought I might be able to, but I can't. I'm not a hero._

"Terra." Axel took an apprehensive step toward him.

The bronze knight knelt down and punched the ground as hard as he could. The earth quaked, ruthlessly and permanently swallowing countless guards into a sandy snare. He punched the ground again with his opposite hand and a large stone column jutted from the ground and sent Axel flying.

Once they were disposed of, Terra ran to his Keyblade glider, mounted it, and took off into the sand storm.

"Terra!"

Terra did his best to avoid the onslaught of flames and chakrams being slung at him but one of Axel's chakrams still sliced through one of his biceps, causing him to wail and almost lose control of his glider as his arm went numb from the intense pain.

"Terra!" The next roar was louder but it was fainter as a result of Terra disappearing into the sandy gale.

Eventually, Axel's cries grew silent, the attacks ceased, and the only thing he could hear or see was the wailing of the dust devil that relentlessly fought his glider. The Keyblade glider struggled more and more as the storm intensified. Terra tried flying higher and even lower but it didn't matter. The storm was too much.

The Keyblade glider parried and staggered until it violently crashed into the ground. Terra was mercilessly launched across the sandy terrain as inertia carried him across the grainy surface for what seemed like miles. Grunts and groans blasted from his throat as he was thrown across the wasteland like a weightless plume. The desert storm violated him like he had violated so many others.

When he finally stopped flailing around on the sandy surface of the barren land, he merely laid on the grainy ground like a corpse. Sand filled his armor, his helmet, and the gaping laceration Axel's chakram created in his arm but he didn't rise or even move.

One of his boots and several pieces of his armor were gone, forever mislaid within the sea of sand.

His hands twitched and his legs jerked as his muscles and nerves tried to inform him that he was injured and needed to heal himself, but the knight refused to do so for a long time.

Terra eventually staggered to his feet but he couldn't see anything. The storm was too wild and too thick. Helplessly, he held his hand out and tried to call for his Keyblade, Earthshaker, but it ignored his plea.

_How far was I launched away from that thing?_

"Earthshaker!" Terra howled and the Keyblade finally manifested within his ironclad palm.

Once his Keyblade was back in its rightful place, he reduced it to its charm form and placed it in his pocket since he obviously couldn't travel on his glider with the storm raging around him. Since he couldn't ride his glider, he began walking. He had no destination in mind. He had no objective other than to get away from the chaotic, fucked-up mess that was his existence.

Terra wandered the desert aimlessly, possibly even roaming in circles. He couldn't tell. The storm was too strong and it made him near-sighted. He dawdled through the desert until night fell, but even then the storm didn't subside and he still couldn't mount his glider.

The moon rose and fell although Terra never saw its luminous nor did he sleep. He simply treaded through and against the storm. He was probably, hungry, tired, and dehydrated but he didn't feel a thing, not even the massive gash in his arm. The only thing he felt was the heat around him and the mass of burning sand beneath his bare foot.

The haphazard wandering continued throughout the early morning until Terra stepped upon a sharp object that bore into the blistered sole of his bootless foot.

"Fuck!" Terra bellowed and collapsed onto his hip.

Automatically, he checked his foot for cacti spurs but found none. Irritated, he searched through the sand to see what had the nerve to stab his innocent foot. Angrily, he sifted through the sand and dug through the scalding dune until a bright, orange object caught his attention.

 _No…fucking…way,_ he mused as he pulled his Wayfinder out of the sand's feeble grip.

"You think this is funny?!" he shouted to any entity that would hear him, glaring at the blinding, sand filled sky above him.

The Dark Knight angrily hauled the sand-covered, yet perfectly in tact Wayfinder out of the bulging dune and clenched it tightly in his hand as he began walking again, secretly hoping it was a mirage or that it would turn to sand in his unyielding grip.

The unforgiving, morning sun abused his back and his armor absorbed the heat and began to burn his skin. To make things worse, the metal grew heavier as he grew weaker. Terra's strides turned into weak steps that barely moved him at all. His vision began to blur and his ears began to ring. He didn't sweat because he couldn't. There was no fluid left within his body.

Terra began to trip and stumble his way up another bank of golden dust but his flaccid legs gave. His mouth was dry and full of grainy dirt, but he wasn't thirsty for anything tangible. His thirst was for _her._ He had a thirst that would never be quelled.

A growl rumbled in his cracked, dry throat and he began using the last of his strength to remove the armor that was cruelly weighing him down. He didn't need it anymore. He didn't _want_ it anymore. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Terra chucked the pieces of his armor off one by one. He carelessly threw them around and let the sand gobble up the shell of the metal beast that had harmed so many, the shell of a puppet; the shell of a demon, a monster. Terra didn't want to die a monster. He _would_ die a monster but maybe if he removed the carapace he could trick the fates into thinking that he was an innocent man. It was stupid but he was just dehydrated and malnourished enough to think it would work.

Metal fell off him in hunks and pieces until he wore nothing but the fitted, black pants he wore underneath it all. He pulled the Wayfinder out of his pocket and prepared to throw it away as well but he hesitated. Dead eyes of royal blue gazed at the charm Blue made him. He caressed it tenderly with his thumb and sighed. He couldn't do it. He threw her away once but he couldn't do it again so he gingerly placed his only possession back into his pocket. Terra figured he would be okay with dying with it, dying somewhat close to her.

Clumsily, the knight crawled through the thick dust. Collapsing frequently and rolling around on the scalding sand, he tried to find a hole to die in. He doubted he would find one but he wanted to distance himself from the demon's armor. He still had the absurd notion that he could trick fate, Light, Darkness, whoever, into thinking it wasn't his and that he was an innocent man who deserved deliverance.

The Dark Knight rolled onto his back when he couldn't move anymore. He stared at the blinding, sandy sun and begged death to be merciful and hoped that maybe the next life would be more forgiving than this one.

 _So this is it. I'm going to die out here,_ he thought, coughing golden dust out of his baked lungs as the gravity of his situation sank in.

_That's okay. I'm not afraid of death. I'm not afraid of dying. It's probably better if I die. I deserve death. Darkness knows everyone's life would have been better if I had died years ago._

Terra's vision began to blacken and he used the last of his strength to affectionately squeeze his Wayfinder.

 _Maybe it's better this way,_ he thought before he closed his eyes, his body stilling and his heartbeat slowing.

_Maybe it's better this way…_

Terra's muscles went limp and his Wayfinder fell from his lifeless hand and rested peacefully against his flaccid fingers.


	31. Sorrowing Man

"Where is he?!" Lord Xehanort bellowed.

Axel flinched as the monarch's fierce voice bounced off the towering walls of the Grand Hall. "I don't know, my lord."

"Where is he?!" Xehanort repeated, his yellow eyes leaving the knight kneeling before him and darting to the silent Seer Sages who stood obediently by his side.

Larxene winced while Marluxia and Zexion remained mute and emotionless. The seers did not answer; doing so would voice their failure.

"Answer me!" the monarch roared and everyone in the room grimaced as his voice carried and echoed through the stale silence within the Grand Hall.

"We don't know… We cannot see," Marluxia confessed, keeping his cool demeanor.

"How?" Lord Xehanort walked toward his Seer Sages. "How can you not see? Are you blind? Have you lost your abilities?"

The seers were mute, ashamed and mute.

"Have you lost the ability to speak as well? That is appropriate since your tongues no longer benefit me." Xehanort turned his back on the Seer Sages and approached the Dark Knight again. "I'm not sure who I am more disappointed in. The fool who couldn't physically stop this from happening, or the fools who couldn't see it coming."

"My lord," Larxene purred and eased toward her master. "We tried. We—"

"I don't care if you tried!" Xehanort roared and lurched toward Larxene, causing the seeress to bow her head in submission. " I do not care about attempts! I want results! And you have been worthless since Aqua left!"

"My lord," Larxene whimpered and raised her head apprehensively to gain eye contact with him. "I am so sorry…"

"I don't care that you're sorry, Larxene. Your apologies mean nothing to me. What value could such trivial words offer me?" the Overlord shook his head in disgust.

"I can't see him!" Larxene countered and gazed at him with wild, emerald eyes, "None of us can! We were tracking him but we didn't see this! We didn't see him. We can't see him!"

"That is none of my concern! You mistake me for a merciful man!"

Axel couldn't help but smirk a bit at the Seer Sages' failures even if he had failed as well. It was nice to watch them squirm for a change. Maybe they weren't as perfect as everyone thought.

The Dark Overlord sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "There is nothing to be done about it now." He turned, opened his eyes, and glanced at Zexion and Marluxia. "Is what she says true? Are you incapable of seeing him as well?"

"Yes, my liege," replied Marluxia and Zexion nodded his agreement.

"What does that mean?" Axel couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Either the Opposition's seer has formed an obstruction or Terra is dead," Marluxia answered, his tone blunt.

"Maybe both," Zexion added while scribbling in his book.

"Wouldn't you see his death?" Axel tried not to scoff.

"Not if another seer has seen it. If another seer received a pure vision of his death, then we would be incapable of doing so. It can form a block, a barrier. We cannot share the vision, which would explain why none of us could receive it," Zexion explained, looking at Axel as if he were stupid.

"In other words," Larxene folded her arms. "If the Opposition trash gets a vision before we do, that vision is no longer available to us and vice versa. In certain situations, we can't always see what they see and they can't always see what we see."

"I think he's dead," Zexion grumbled flatly, his eyes not leaving the pages of his book.

"And your reasoning?" Xehanort asked calmly as he marched back to his throne.

"We cannot see him anymore," Zexion replied. "Even if another seer _did_ see his death, that wouldn't keep us from seeing him _now_. It's as if he no longer exists."

"Either he is the most inactive, indecisive son of a bitch alive or he is dead," Marluxia huffed and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Larxene?" the Overlord inquired as he took his place within his throne.

"I see no other alternative…" Larxene responded solemnly. "If he were alive, he we would see him. He would impact the future in _some_ way. He would be making decisions, talking to people. If someone is alive, they should affect the future."

Axel scoffed in disbelief and placed his hands on his hips.

"Axel, I assume you find this analysis inaccurate?" Lord Xehanort stroked his goatee.

"I just find it hard to believe," Axel admitted.

"You should," Larxene's eyes narrowed. "It's your fault he's dead. It's only appropriate that you experience denial."

"It's not my fault he's dead," the knight hissed.

"No?" the seeress countered and elegantly descended the crimson steps. "Who was sent to Palamecia to ensure Terra _didn't_ do something stupid?"

Axel turned his head away.

"Whose job was it to keep an eye on him because _we_ thought something like this might happen?" Larxene gripped Axel's chin and forced him to look at her. "Whose job was it, Axel?"

"Mine," he answered reluctantly.

"Ultimately, his death is on you," the blonde oracle confirmed and Axel cut his jade eyes in the opposite direction so he wouldn't have to look at her.

"Not to mention, because of you all our plans are ruined!" The Seer Sage released Axel's chin and slapped him across the face with an electric charged palm as hard as she could.

Lightening shot through Axel's cheek, channeled through his teeth, and fizzled into his gums. His teeth rattled and clattered in his mouth as the electrical current shot around inside his mouth. His jaw was on fire and his skin burned as the sting from the slap settled into his cheek.

Axel blinked rapidly in disbelief as he shifted his damaged jaw back and forth. He brought his hand to his jaw and helped the mandible stretch as the pain slowly subsided.

He couldn't believe it. Larxene had just struck him. Axel had known Larxene since childhood. He couldn't remember meeting her. He had known her all his life but the woman who just struck him was not the woman he cared for. This woman was downright unhinged. Either her failure, the news of Terra's death, or all the strained visions had finally gotten to her. A few years ago, Larxene wouldn't have ever acted in such a way, even if she had failed her Overlord, even if Terra had died. For some reason, she was desperate and disturbed.

"Larxene," Lord Xehanort chided lightly, clearly not caring that Larxene had just slapped Axel. The knight knew Xehanort was craving for someone to take the blame and receive some form of punishment for what happened. Xehanort was always amused and pleased by violence. Always.

"You are in no position to condemn or blame Axel," the Overlord scolded delicately. Axel couldn't help but feel prejudice. Xehanort could have said something _before_ the seeress assaulted him. "You hold just as much fault as he does and for that you are being deployed," Xehanort folded his wrinkled, writhing hands under his chin.

"Deployed? Why?" Larxene exclaimed innocently. Axel would have smiled smugly if he had regained any of the feeling in his face.

"Because you are clearly worthless here," the Overlord countered coolly. "So I have decided to send you somewhere where you can possibly be useful."

"Where? And why me? Why not Marluxia or Zexion?! They hold as much fault as I do!" she argued feverishly, pointing harshly at her fellow seers.

"Because, Larxene, only you will do." Lord Xehanort smirked.

The Dark Knight's brow creased. What could Larxene do that the others couldn't?

"I need you to go to Naefre with Axel and Saïx, my dear," Lord Xehanort announced and Larxene's frown turned into a devious simper.

"Is it time to pay DiZ a visit already?" Larxene inquired excitedly with faux innocence.

"Yes, we received word from Xemnas this morning. It is time for you to go to Naefre and plant your little _seed_."

"With pleasure," Larxene instantly complied.

Axel watched her suspiciously. For someone who was so adamant about not being deployed, she was suddenly very thrilled.

* * *

Something soft and damp was against his face. What he assumed was a hand touched his forehead then applied pressure to the thick, blood-filled artery in his neck. The damp material dabbed at his head and rubbed his neck as his eyes gradually reopened.

_"Hey."_

Terra coughed and groaned while his eyes adjusted to the foreign brightness and tried to observe the source of the melodic voice. Midnight blue eyes fluttered open and took in the image of what he just knew was an angel, _his_ angel.

Bright, baby blue eyes looked down at him, plump pink lips fell in an emotionless line, and sapphire tresses framed a pure face perfectly as porcelain skin emitted a beautiful, healthy glow.

"Aqua…" he breathed and reached for her face.

"Here," she responded, tenderly holding his head up and pressing a cup of water to his lips. "You need to drink something."

Terra scowled and roughly knocked the glass from her hand, not caring where it landed or spilled. Swiftly, he sat up, wrapped his arms around her neck, and embraced her.

"Aqua…" he raved and held her tightly against him, "I'm… I'm so sorry. For everything…"

The knight turned his head and buried his face in her neck. His hand traveled to the back of her head and grabbed a handful of her hair but the texture was…off. The hair mingling between his fingers was coarser than it should be. He inhaled deeply but he didn't smell jasmine, lavender, or the faint fragrance of the ocean. He smelled blood oranges. His eyes reopened and the skin that covered the neck his face and lips caressed wasn't made of porcelain. The hair in his hands was auburn brown, not glaring indigo.

Frustrated and painfully disappointed, Terra shoved the unknown woman away and collapsed onto his back. He hauled an arm over his traitorous eyes and groaned.

"I… I know I'm not who you thought I was…" the feminine voice that no longer sounded like Blue whispered, "but you have to drink something. You'll die if you don't…"

Terra could hear the sound of pouring water.

"Please?" the stranger's inquired gently.

A sole royal blue eye peeked out from under his tan arm and he saw a girl dressed in yellow offering him a small glass of water.

Terra sat up and took the pitcher of water that rested on the nightstand by the bed, coldly refusing the cup the girl generously offered. He held his mouth to the pitcher's rim and began downing the entire gallon of water. He sloppily drank the liquid causing it to overflow and spill out of his mouth. The pitcher emptied but only a small amount of liquid actually went down his baked throat. Most of the fluid flowed down his neck and chest before cascading to the now damp bed.

Once he was finished ruthlessly chugging the water, he roughly wiped his mouth and angrily chucked the pitcher across the room and into the nearest wall, breaking it into several fractured pieces. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the girl flinch before he collapsed onto his back and coarsely rolled over to face the wall by the bed instead of her. He couldn't stand the sight of her. He didn't want to see any girl who wasn't _his_ girl.

"Father?" she called. "He's awake."

_"Damn it."_

The voice was older and gruffer and footsteps were now echoing throughout the small living space.

_"I was hoping he would die. One thousand munny says he's nothing but trouble. Anyone found half dead in the middle of the Palamecian Desert, can't be anything but trouble."_

"I'm dehydrated. Not deaf," Terra snapped but didn't turn to face the new voice.

"Polite lad, isn't he?" scoffed the stranger.

"Turn over, boy," the man demanded.

Terra's back shook with silent snickers. Like this man could tell him what to do.

Before Terra could laugh anymore, he was tugged onto his back. He squinted at the old man looking down at him. He wanted to yell obscenities but he was too weak to. Obviously, an elderly man just rolled him over effortlessly. He thought he was just really tired, but maybe he was worse off than he thought.

The man had beady blue-gray eyes that were hidden behind small circular glasses. His hair was wild and white, as was his long beard. He wore vibrant robes of purple and magenta. Terra was reminded of the robes Mona used to wear in her last days as a Seer Sage. Colorful ornaments of blue and green hung from his vibrant belt that held up bright, patterned pants. Upon his feet were bizarre tawny shoes with curved, pointed tips. He was a strange looking man that oozed wisdom and spite.

"Well, since you aren't _deaf_ ," the man cocked his head, "why don't you answer a few of my questions."

Terra glared in silent response.

"Do you remember who you are?" the old man asked and folded his arms that were adorned in billowing, clinking fabric.

Terra knew that was a query to his name.

"Yes." He didn't give it to him.

"What were you doing out in the desert?"

Terra glared again.

"You a prisoner?" The old man's brow knitted.

_Depends on what you call a prisoner_ , Terra mused.

"No," he snorted.

The girl with chestnut in her hair put a hand on the elder's shoulder. "Father, he may not want to talk about all this now…" she chided lightly.

_At least the girl can take a hint._

"I'm sorry." The young woman cast her murky blue gaze back to Terra, "My father can be a bit _harsh_ sometimes and he forgets his manners. My name is Anna and this is my father, Sage Tellah."

The word _sage_ made Terra cringe. Although he knew good and damn well _"sage_ " was a word not always associated with seers, but he would always hold an association, and the word spurred questions in his mind. Were they tracking him? Did they know where he was? Worry started banging on his door. Terra thought he would die. Obviously, that wasn't the case, which meant he had a whole new set of problems to deal with. Living brought forth an entirely new set of complications and plagues, but he couldn't think about that now. His head hurt too much.

In order to distract himself, Terra cut his gaze to the girl who had introduced herself as Anna. She was kind of pretty now that he'd gotten a decent look at her. She had long, straight reddish-brown tresses that held a yellow headband against her crown. She was about Blue's age and wore a short yellow dress that hung off her tanned shoulders.

_Girl likes yellow._

"This is the part where you introduce yourself," Tellah scolded.

"Terra," he spat his name like bile.

"It's nice to meet you, Terra." Anna beamed and Tellah sighed.

"Mm," Terra grumbled, his head twitching in an upward motion.

"How long was I out?" he asked after a moment of silence. He needed to know how much time he had before _they_ came to kill him for being a traitor and probably a deserter. Was he a deserter now? A rogue? He hadn't really thought about it but he supposed it was true. He _had_ technically deserted.

Terra considered sitting up and possibly even getting up completely so he could prepare to leave until he realized his head was like a cinder block, his muscles like mush, and his bones like steel. He grimaced and quickly fell to his back.

"A few days. You have desert fever. Worst case I've ever seen. Quite frankly, I don't know how you are alive," Tellah explained in disbelief and knelt by Terra's bed so he could place a hand on his wounded bicep.

A grimace was coaxed out of Terra when the older man touched the tender area. The sage ignored his discomfort and began casting Cure upon it. Terra could tell this wasn't the first time he had treated the gaping wound Axel's chakram had made. It was very tender but not the way it should be. The tenderness was a post Cure tenderness that lingered. It was the feeling of damaged tissue healing itself preemptively.

_I guess Tellah is a "magic" sage, someone who earns the title by mastering both black and white magic. I bet Blue would be considered a sage in this stupid, backwater village, wherever this backwater village is._

"You can stay here until your fever breaks and you recover. After that, you are on your own and no longer my concern," the sage barked rose to his feet, and began picking up pieces of the pitcher Terra had thrown against the wall. "I'll get you another pitcher water to destroy and I'll make some food in case you get hungry."

"Thanks?" Terra grumbled before he rotated his arm and flexed the newly mended muscle.

Once Tellah cleaned up most of the broken glass and exited the room, Anna sat back down on the white bed next to Terra.

"How do you feel?" she asked politely and tried to place a hand on his forehead only to have him seize her wrist and shove it back towards her. Terra didn't want to be touched, even if it was for medical reasons.

"I still have a fever," he informed her coldly. He could tell her that now. The physical contact wasn't necessary.

"We will have to make you a remedy. You probably won't get better without it."

"Sounds fun." Terra was sarcastic and smug as he covered his scalding eyes again. He felt like shit walked over twice.

"Do you know where you are?" she questioned.

"Not a clue," he said, his voice breaking and cracking either from the fever or the dehydration. Maybe both. Either way he was lying. He did have a clue. He figured he was taken to some village outside of the Palamecian Desert…in the sticks…somewhere.

"Kaipo," Anna replied.

"The desert oasis?" he inquired without looking at her.

Okay, maybe he wasn't lying. Maybe he didn't have a clue. He didn't think he would have been taken to the tiny village in the _middle_ of the desert.

_I guess I_ **was** _walking in circles._

"Mm hmm." He could hear her beaming at him again. She was a friendly, vibrant thing.

"Makes sense," the Dark Keyblade Master murmured.

"Some of our village's hunters found you not too far from here. You almost made it on your own!" She chuckled a bit but Terra wasn't amused. He wasn't trying to ' _make'_ it anywhere.

"Hunters? What's there to hunt?" Terra scoffed, dehydration and fever making him uncharacteristically talkative. He began wondering why he was talking so much. He wanted to go to sleep…or maybe die. He preferred the latter. It would save him from the Dark Rule, but either would do.

"Wolves, cactuars, wild hares." He could feel her shoulder shrug. "Things like that. It isn't much but it's how we get some of our clothing, food, and materials for weaponry."

"Fascinating," Terra spat and rolled over again, turning so his back would face her so she'd hopefully take the hint and leave.

Eventually, the extra weight left the bed and Terra could hear footsteps behind him.

"I like your Wayfinder." Anna leaned over the bedside table and looked at the orange trinket.

"My what?" Terra groaned angrily and scowled over his shoulder at her.

"Your charm." Anna pointed to his neglected Wayfinder that slept peacefully on his nightstand.

"Oh. Right."

Honestly, Terra hadn't even thought about it…yet, but he was glad the 'hunters' had the courtesy to bring it here with him. Other than his pants, it was the only possession he had. If he was honest with himself, it was the only materialistic possession he _cared_ about.

"I'll bring you your lunch when it's ready. Just try to rest." Anna stated shakily. He could tell she wasn't sure what to make of him and his rudeness but that didn't keep him from turning his back to her again.

Taking the subtle hint, the girl turned on her heel and left the room.

* * *

The day after regaining consciousness, Terra was much more alert and lucid, but he was still rude and disrespectful. He'd managed to sit up in bed but his heavy head kept threatening to lob over. The fever or "desert fever" as the sage Tellah had called it, was still sucking the life out of him and making him miserable.

The inside of his eyelids felt like they were made out of sandpaper and they mercilessly scoured his eyes every single time he blinked. His raw, rheumy eyes watered almost constantly. His ears were full of chunky fluid and popped from the pressure inside his cranium. If he wasn't sweating, he was shivering. He was extremely weak and sometimes he was confused but he didn't hallucinate about a girl with blue hair anymore. Irritability could also be one of his symptoms but since Terra was always irritable he didn't really think it qualified.

"How are we feeling today?" Anna entered the room with a tray full of food Terra instantly knew he wouldn't eat so he didn't bother looking to see what was on the tray.

"Like shit." He coughed and repressed an involuntary shiver.

"I figured," she sighed and put the tray on the bedside table. "But good news! The hunters were finally able to get the antlion egg and Father is making your remedy as we speak."

Terra nodded and took the glass of orange juice off the tray, trying to get something into his system since he had little to no appetite.

"Wait, did you say antlion?" He almost spewed.

Anna giggled a little. "Yes. It's a docile creature that lives in a desert cave we have dubbed the Antlion's Den. Anyway, its egg is the only way to make a cure for desert fever. They would have gotten it sooner but it takes a while to get the den on the other side of the desert and even longer to actually navigate the cave and get the egg itself."

"I'm hallucinating again," Terra groaned and drank more of the tart juice.

"No. You're lucid," Anna assured him. "If you weren't, you would be calling me…Aqua, was it?"

"Did I do that more than once?" he groused and rubbed his forehead with his free hand in irritation.

"Honestly?" Anna winced a bit. "Before you regained consciousness, anytime you almost came to you either said something about her or to her. You rambled about other things too but mainly her."

"What else did I say?" Terra blanched. Light knows all of the horrible, incriminating things he could have said. If they found out he was a Dark Knight or maybe an ex Dark Knight, he would be fucked. Kaipo was neutral, but that didn't mean they would have sympathy for a Dark Knight.

"Nothing bad." The young woman smiled. "I promise."

"Alright," Tellah's voice boomed as he waltzed into the room with a glass of what looked like pure sludge. "It's ready."

Terra grimaced when he saw how _solid_ this liquid looked.

"Drink it," the sage instructed bluntly and handed him a small cup full of the thick, yellow liquid.

The ex-knight sat up straighter and took the tonic from the man and took a sip of the concoction.

"What the fuck is in this?" Terra hacked and wiped the foul substance from his dry, cracked lips.

"Didn't Anna tell you? It's antlion egg mixed with an Esuna compound." Tellah smirked. "What were you expecting, boy? Hot chocolate?"

"I was hoping for something with alcohol in it," the Keyblade Master countered curtly and swirled the thick tawny mixture in his cup. He would kill for a shot of whiskey. Fuck, he would kill to just get drunk.

"Drink this and you will get better, then you can get nice and loaded. But you aren't going to get drunk in my house. What you do once you get out of here is your own affair but you aren't going to behave in such a way in _my_ house around _my_ daughter."

Terra's eyes rolled. He was beyond ready to get out of this man's house. He wasn't crazy about Tellah and he was pretty sure Tellah hated him. However, Terra didn't mind Anna and was pretty sure she was nursing a pretty good crush on him.

_Poor girl. Poor,_ **stupid** _girl…_

In one swift motion, Terra chugged the monstrously thick liquid for what seemed like hours. The damn thing wouldn't go down his throat! It kept trying to come back up and it would continually get lodged in his windpipe. Terra had never drunk liquid cement before, but he assumed it probably felt just like this.

"Light-damn!" Terra choked and punched his sternum, hoping it would force the liquid into his empty stomach.

Anna stifled laughter across the room and Tellah bellowed with amusement. Terra smirked at Anna but glared at Tellah.

* * *

Staring at the creamy brick walls of the room he was locked in got old _really_ fast, but it was one of the few things he was able to do while waiting for his fever to break. There was a mahogany bookshelf on the other side of the room but the thought of reading made his swimming head hurt. He was much better after he drank the foul remedy but he was still recovering so he mainly listened to the cuckoo clock on the wall tick while he counted the tan bricks that created the walls around him.

Counting things while bored was a trick he had picked up from Blue. She always counted things if she was bored or waiting on him. In fact, she'd been counting his ceiling tiles when he'd finally gotten the gal to ask her why she hated him. For some stupid reason, he'd convinced himself that she didn't hate him as much as she claimed and he felt that he had the right to know why even if she did. She'd refused to answer for a long time; her temper flaring along with his before he'd finally forced the answer out of her. She'd said she hated him because of what he was and what he'd done. She hated him because he was cruel and barbaric. The words had stung and hurt his heart then and they haunted him now because he knew she was right and that she probably hated him now more than ever.

Knocking resonated on the other side of the door, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. It was gentle and soft and he knew it was Anna.

"Come in, Anna." Terra did his best to sit up without stirring another migraine.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked with a grin as she nimbly entered the room.

"The codger doesn't knock and when he does, it isn't nearly as soft as your knocking is," Terra explained and tried to stretch out his still achy muscles.

"You're sharp. Your senses are returning," Anna said and took a seat at the foot of Terra's bed. "That's good. That means the medicine is doing its job."

Terra nodded.

"So," the young woman's cheeks tinted pink. "I came to see if you wanted to take a bath."

"A bath would be nice," he complied and rotated his body so he could prepare to place his feet on the ground.

"Here," Anna rushed to his side. "Let me help."

Anna looped his arm behind her neck and wrapped her arms around his trunk before she helped lift him to his feet. It wasn't necessary. Terra could probably walk on his own. It would just take a lot longer to do so.

There was only one bathroom in this small, three-bedroom house. It was located near the tiny kitchen, where Tellah was seated with a cup of steaming tea in his hands. The kitchen had a round wooden table with four short stools surrounding it. In the corner was a medium-sized fireplace, and a stack of wood sat beside it to help feed the fireplace's frames.

"Finally able to get out of bed?" Tellah inquired playfully before sipping at his tea.

"Yeah," Terra replied as he slowly walked through the kitchen with Anna latched onto his side, supporting his much larger frame.

"Good!" the elder bellowed. "Glad to see you're feeling better! You'll be out of my house in no time!"

Terra rolled his eyes.

Anna held onto Terra's trunk and continued to support his weight as they made their way through the bathroom to the tub full of clear, hot water. His arm was casually draped over her shoulder and as he noticed their proximity, he hoped she wasn't reading too much into the physical contact.

"I got it," he announced flatly and let go of his human crutch.

"Are you sure?" she asked as he leaned against the sink, her hands resting on his heaving chest.

"Yes," he answered and began worming his way out of his pants.

Anna shielded her eyes and looked away.

"He isn't shy, is he?" Tellah mused as he stood in the bathroom doorway to see if Anna needed help lugging a man twice her size around their home.

Terra winked at the duo and flexed his muscles a bit. He had nothing to be ashamed of. He was proud of the physique he had worked so hard to obtain and modesty was one of the many things that had been beaten out of him on the road to becoming a Dark Knight. He just didn't feel it anymore. Plus, he wanted to get a rise out of Tellah.

"Pig," the sage scoffed. "Anna! Get out of there!"

After ensuring Terra could indeed stand on his own, she made her way to the door.

"I already ran the water for you. The towels are by the sink. Just, um, call if you need us." With that, she ushered Tellah out of the doorway and shut the door behind them.

Terra walked to the tub and all but threw himself into the steaming water. He closed his eyes and let all the sand, sweat, and blood flow off his skin. The water felt amazing and Terra didn't even _like_ taking baths. He didn't realize how dirty he felt until he got an impression of what it would feel like to be clean. Not to mention that the warm fluid was also helping his fever break.

_Awesome. I'll be able to drink soon._

He missed drinking. More importantly, he missed the _sensation_ of being drunk. Mainly because being drunk would numb him and his brain. If he were drunk, he wouldn't worry, think, or even feel as much. All three of those things were unpleasant experiences in his book. They were torture, especially since he had so much time to do so now. Even in this bathtub he was troubled. Minor tasks like bathing weren't productive or constructive enough to keep his thoughts, worries, and chronic misery away.

_They_ could be there any minute. At any moment, they could bust right through that door and drown him in this tub. It was unavoidable. The Dark Rule would come for him. Pansy knights from small cities could get away with deserting, but not him; not an elite from Hollow Bastion; not the traitor.

Traitor. That was a new word to describe him. He knew he would be called and described as a lot in his lifetime but never once had he thought he would be called a traitor. Traitor was a bit strong. Technically, he was more of a deserter than a traitor, but to the Dark Rule there wasn't much of a difference. The only traitorous thing he did was threaten Axel, but he only did that so he could leave. He supposed the details didn't matter. What was done was done.

Even though Terra didn't _want_ to think, he still _needed_ to. He needed to figure out what he was going to do with himself now that he was a deserter or a traitor, or whatever. Staying in Kaipo was an option, but he would be a sitting duck staying in one place for too long. He would have to leave eventually, probably when he regained his strength and health and figured out where he would go. Then again, deserters didn't really _go_ anywhere. They just wandered around aimlessly, going form town-to-town, avoiding capture and arrest. Maybe that was how they avoided capture, by being aimless. There was no goal, no objective, which meant they wouldn't impact much, and if they didn't impact much, that meant they would probably stay out of the future, and staying out of the future meant being unseen by the seers. So maybe it didn't matter where he went as long as he had no objective.

* * *

As soon as the fever broke, Terra did exactly what Tellah told him he could do. He got good and loaded.

Terra went to the local pub and drank all day until he couldn't feel a thing anymore. He couldn't feel his inhuman muscles deteriorating from no longer receiving Darkness injections, he couldn't feel the unbearable void in his heart, he couldn't feel fear of the Dark Rule coming for his hide, and he couldn't feel the Wayfinder sleeping in his pocket.

After he was good and drunk and the pub closed for the night, he stumbled back to Tellah and Anna's house since he was still staying there much to his and Tellah's displeasure.

Terra clumsily barreled through the open door and broke…something. He wasn't sure what it was. He just ran into the small, rounded table and knocked something over. He heard the object shatter and felt the debris scattering close to his feet.

"Shit," he whispered but his powerful voice still carried through the quiet house.

Tellah would have his ass for busting in here drunk, waking him up, and breaking…whatever it was that he knocked off the table. He was planning on relocating to the Inn he just hadn't done so yet. His fever had just broken that morning and once it did, his first priority was getting wasted, not finding another place to live.

_"Come on in, Terra."_

The ex-knight winced.

At first, Terra couldn't figure out where Tellah was. The only light in the room was the dim light the kitchen's fireplace's dying flames emitted which wasn't nearly enough for him to get a good look at _anything_. The fact that he was drunk off his ass wasn't helping his vision either.

The Keyblade Master's drunken eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and noticed the old coot sitting in the poorly lit kitchen silently sipping tea. Had he waited up for him?

Terra walked into the kitchen but didn't take a seat. He merely leaned against the nearest wall and stared Tellah down.

"Who are you?" Tellah's gruff voice resonated over the gentle popping of firewood.

"No one." Terra scoffed and smirked drunkenly. It was true. He wasn't anyone anymore.

The room got deadly quiet. The only sound bouncing off them was the crackling of firewood and the hissing of steam and smoke.

"You don't like me, do you?" Terra decided to address the elephant that had been in the room since his arrival.

"Why would I like you?" Tellah laughed. "You come here with the charm and malevolence of Darkness itself and you aren't afraid of anything. Everything about you screams trouble."

Tellah was a wise old soul. He probably knew exactly what he was, or what he had been. Which would explain his instant hatred and intense distrust of him.

"I know your kind; tall, dark, deadly, and handsome. You drink and curse like a sailor, breaking hymens and hearts everywhere you go," Tellah scolded and Terra knew it probably wouldn't be long before the irate codger shot Thundaga right through his guts.

"Hey, it's been a while since I've broken a hymen." The ex-knight held his hands up defensively with a crude grin on his face. He was just drunk enough to be uncharacteristically obscene.

"I don't know where you are from but I suggest figure out where you are going because you aren't staying here," Tellah growled. "You better acknowledge the risks we are taking for your hide and I suggest you do all of us a favor and leave here as soon as possible."

"If you're so eager to get rid of me, then why did you save me? Why have you done all this for me? You could've let me die."

"I could have, but I didn't want to. Anna sees something in you…and I suppose I do too in some bizarre way. Besides, you clearly weren't afraid of death. Like I said earlier, I can tell you aren't afraid of anything. I noticed that about you almost instantly. Anyway, if you died without a fear of death, I wouldn't be able to enjoy your demise." Tellah stroked his messy, white beard.

"I don't believe you," the ex-knight responded. "You aren't the type to indulge in the death of others. Trust me, I know the type that indulge in death and you don't really fit the profile."

Tellah removed his glasses and began cleaning their lenses on his robe. "I suppose you're right."

Terra sneered. "I think you do like me. I think what bugs you, is that you don't trust me."

Tellah placed his glasses upon his flattened nose. "Again, I suppose you're right. I'm impressed, Terra. Even when you are drunk as a skunk, you're still pretty sharp."

"Thanks?" the Keyblade Master chuckled.

"Go to bed, boy." Tellah shook his head. "You have a long day of nursing a nasty hangover awaiting you in the morning. I'll save you some tea. You're going to need it."

* * *

No longer wearing armor was an adjustment.

Terra had purchased a skin-tight, charcoal colored, high collared shirt to wear instead of a chest plate. An obi wrapped around his waist instead of armored abs. Loose, beige hakama pants took the place of steel-plated legs. Red suspenders intersected over his no longer ironclad chest while black wristband close to the hand that often clung to his liquor bottle was wrapped around his thick wrist. Unable to completely abandon his heritage, he kept the opposite arm significantly armored in black, bronze, and gold metal, but he'd removed his gauntlet. A sole fingerless glove that wouldn't be able to harm anyone's wrists replaced the cruel gauntlet instead. The only other armor on his body covered his feet. Terra kept his feet adorned in armored boots of brown and gold.

Old habits died hard and it would be a while before he would wean himself off of armor completely.

The new clothes were an adjustment but nothing dramatic, nothing he felt he couldn't handle. However, when Anna and Tellah handed him a cowl and called it a hunter's cape, he had no idea what they wanted him to do with it. He'd worn a helmet over his features for years but a cowl? He'd never worn a cowl before. He didn't know what to do with it but he knew he had little choice in the matter so he put it on, begrudgingly.

"You look handsome," Anna confessed and brushed the golden sand off the hunter's cape Terra wore over his new clothes. The cape was blackened and gloomy. It gathered around his neck and hung off his broad shoulders before traveling down to the back of his no longer armored calves.

"Whatever." Terra shrugged her hands off of him. He pulled his black cowl over his nose and mouth in order keep the sandstorm from violating his face while he hunted out in the desert.

Terra was being forced to go on a _ridiculous_ hunting trip, in this _ridiculous_ hunting attire, with the village's alleged 'hunters' to make munny after he spent all his munny on new clothes…and he _might_ have most of it on alcohol and lost the rest of it while gambling at the pub…

"Good luck." Tellah smacked him on the back a bit harder than necessary. "You're gonna need it."

* * *

Terra tossed a small, dead hare onto the kitchen table where Anna and Tellah were seated. He took the cowl off his nose and mouth, shook the sand out of his hair and sat at the table next to Anna.

His cheeks were rosy from the heat and his hair was matted with sand and sweat. He was exhausted, disgusting, and in desperate need of a bath. Rolling around in the sand with the hunters all day had not been a pleasant experience but he couldn't help but feel that this was a victory. He hadn't come back empty handed.

Tellah chortled. "Is that all you got?"

"No…" Terra wiped the sweat and grime off his face with the back of his gloved hand. "I got some other…rabbit things but I already sold them to the merchant for munny. I just wanted to drop by and show your crusty ass that I could do it."

"Children catch hares. Real men bring back wolves and cactuars." Tellah scoffed and folded his arms. "But I suppose you didn't do too bad for a city slicker."

"I'll get better. I'm just used to hunting…larger prey," Terra responded, his eyes suddenly dark and distant.

* * *

For the past few weeks, Terra hunted in the desert during the day to keep his thoughts and fears away, in the afternoons he drank to numb himself, and at night, to alleviate the persistent feeling of loneliness, he visited Anna and Tellah.

"What was she like?" Anna questioned softly as she gently pulled the cactuar needles out of Terra's bare arm.

Terra was still adjusting to life as an _animal_ hunter. Hunting in general wasn't anything new to him, but hunting animals certainly was. As a result, Terra had got into a nasty encounter with a cactuar. He had killed it and sold its sorry hide to the town merchant but not before the damned thing shot him full of needles. The other hunters found this terribly funny. Terra was far from amused.

"Who?" Terra inquired, his dark, brown brow furrowed and his tone dry.

Anna giggled. "Aqua."

Terra snorted.

"Well?" Anna probed playfully and leaned toward him. "Was she pretty?"

"She was…unique." He didn't want to say she was pretty. Somehow, _'pretty'_ didn't really seem to do her justice.

"Was she from the Dark Realm?"

"No," Terra said bluntly. He caught what Anna was suggesting. She knew he was probably from the Dark Realm so she assumed his former _lover_ would have been too. Oh, how wrong she was.

"What was she like?" Anna repeated her initial question and dabbed the bleeding holes in Terra's arm with a damp, green cloth. He _could_ heal himself but he was avoiding using magic. He was suspicious enough without his magical prowess. Most of the men in the village didn't use magic, save for Tellah, so neither would he. Terra was hoping not using magic would make him seem…normal, maybe like a Child of Light, or maybe even a victim. Anyone but the enemy.

"Bright. Kind. Frustrating." Terra used his free hand to run his fingers through his shaggy, overgrown hair. Why was he talking about this?

"D-Did you love her?" the girl asked timidly while pulling another needle out of the flesh of Terra's forearm.

"I guess, Anna," he growled and stared angrily at the floor between winces.

"…Do you still?" Anna questioned again, a bit softer this time.

"It doesn't matter. She left me."

Terra knew why Anna was asking him all of this. Anna wanted to know if she had a chance with him. It was obvious Anna cared for him. She had shown him nothing but misplaced compassion and kindness.

Terra could have his pick of any of the girls in the village, including Anna. They were all struck on him. The village hunters even joked about how they wished they had his options, but Terra didn't want _options_. He only wanted one person, but she hated him and she should for all that he'd done to her.

Anna tenderly rubbed his back to comfort him. She was always offering him comfort, but he never accepted it. Terra was pretty sure Anna was one of those girls that probably had a thing for lost causes, and he was definitely a lost cause. She wanted to mend his marred heart. She wanted to take his ceaseless pain away.

"I'm sorry I'm not magically inclined like my father so I can't use magical remedies, but I can do things the old-fashioned way," Anna explained, changing the subject while bandaging Terra's wounded arm. "When I was little, I decided I should learn normal healing remedies since I couldn't conjure like Father. I guess it's my way of trying to imitate some form of magic."

"Magic can be a curse. In our world, not having the ability is a blessing," he replied and leaned back so Anna could examine his trunk.

Anna sighed and began bandaging Terra's torso. "That's what Father always told me, but I still couldn't help feeling like I was…inept. You know, since Father is a sage."

"What actually _qualifies_ as a sage here? Someone who has mastered black and white magic?" Terra inquired.

Anna nodded.

The awkward silence crept back into the room and Anna was looking at him with expecting eyes. Her hands lingered on his torso longer than they should. There were no more needles in his hide and all his wounds were bandaged. She was just…touching him.

Could he love her? Never. Could he be happy with her? Not really. Could he use her up until she was as miserable as he was? _Definitely._

If Terra were cruel – well, _crueler_ – he would use her to partially fill the void Blue had left in his blood pumping vital organ. He could suck the life right out of her. That gaping void would suck the life right out of her. Anna wouldn't be able to sustain it and it would vengefully devour her for her loathsome inadequacy. It would take _a lot_ more effort and exertion to even _attempt_ to fill that monstrous, bitter vacuum that she was never destined to fill. Anna wouldn't help him at all, but he would _destroy_ her.

However, the more sadistic, selfish part of Terra told him he could fake it. He could be _moderately_ happy with Anna, living in this village as a hunter. He probably couldn't ever be truly happy. That was never in the cards for him, but maybe he could settle?

Terra sat up and watched Anna innocently draw circles on his rigid stomach. When he caught her attention, she openly smiled at him. Her eyes were bright yet dingy blue and they regarded him in a way Blue's brilliant eyes never did. Anna had never hated him. Anna didn't hold that deep-rooted resentment, that burning hatred, that tart spite in her heart. Anna hadn't been harmed as Blue had been. Anna was every bit as pure as Blue, but the Dark Rule hadn't done things to her. _He_ hadn't done things to her.

Malice churned in Terra's guts. Frustrated and animus, he gripped Anna's chin and tilted her head upward. Instinctively, Anna closed her eyes for him, eagerly waiting for him to kiss her.

Terra leaned in and seriously considered giving her the bitter, malignant kiss that would set an unpleasant future for her into motion; a kiss that would mean nothing to him, but a lot to her. If he kissed her, it would be to get back at Blue. It would be a vain, empty attempt at revenge and requital. If he kissed Anna, it wouldn't be because he cared or because he wanted her, it would simply be because he could. It wouldn't make him happy, it would only make him resent and hate Anna because she wasn't whom he wanted her to be, nor would she ever be.

That was the problem. Anna wasn't Blue. Anna wasn't… _Aqua_. In the quiet of night, in their silent moments, he could hallucinate again. He could pretend Anna was Aqua, but that wouldn't be fair to Anna. Honestly, it wouldn't be fair to anyone. It wouldn't be fair if he spent the rest of his days ripping Anna's skin apart, peeling her guiltless flesh off her frail bones in a futile attempt to find Aqua underneath.

"Anna," Terra said sternly, pulling away from her as he spoke.

Anna's dull eyes fluttered open and shone with disappointment. For the love of all that was Light and Holy was he tired of coaxing that look out of women.

"Do you want to be miserable for the rest of your life?" he asked genuinely, still holding her small chin between his thumb and index finger.

"No?" she answered skeptically as she blushed.

"Then stay away from me."

* * *

"Do you really have to go?" Anna pleaded as she looked up at Terra with pained eyes. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his waist and her chin rested on his sternum as she gazed up at him beseechingly.

"I can't stay here," Terra lied. Technically, it wasn't _really_ a lie but it wasn't necessarily the truth either.

After a considerable amount of time in Kaipo, Terra had come to the conclusion that the Dark Rule wasn't coming for him, which meant one of his hypotheses about the seers was correct. Either being indecisive or unproductive had blurred their vision. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure which. Maybe it was both? One way or another, he assumed his new lifestyle and pattern had kept him out of the seer's line of sight and that was all that mattered.

Since the Keyblade Master had somehow managed to throw off the Seer Sages, he could technically stay in Kaipo, but he wasn't going to. He could have stayed and made a _moderately_ happy life there but he still felt like a liability and still worried the Dark Rule would come for him and if they did, the village would suffer and that was the last thing he wanted. So, for the assumed _greater good_ Terra had decided to leave before he got Kaipo and the people he cared about in trouble or before he ended up ruining Anna's life by staying and doing something impulsive.

"Will you visit?" she inquired.

Terra grimaced. "I-I don't know. I might. It depends."

"I packed you some food and supplies that should last until you get out of the desert." Tellah shuffled across the violet and cream rug of their living room and carelessly threw the bag at Terra. Much to the old sage's disappointment, Terra caught the bag effortlessly.

"No getting desert fever this time," Anna chided lightly. She cupped Terra's cheek affectionately and to her surprise, he let her.

"I won't," Terra assured her with a small smile.

"Take care of yourself or you will end up right back here." Tellah chortled a bit and slapped Terra forcefully on the back.

Terra coughed a bit and couldn't stop himself from chuckling. The old bastard was stronger than he looked.

"Okay. Okay, I get it." The Keyblade Master rolled his eyes and walked for the door. "And…thanks. For everything… I…I appreciate it." He tried his best to be kind but he was still working on that particular characteristic.

* * *

After jumping from town to town for a while, Terra had finally lighted inside Doma castle. He figured he would follow the rumors and gossip he'd heard about the fortress and see if the castle was everything it was made out to be.

It was. The castle was perfect for an adjusting retiree or deserter. Doma reminded him of Tarnen but it wasn't Tarnen so it was bearable, for a while at least.

Terra didn't care for the brothel or the call girls, but he did thoroughly enjoy the bar. The tavern in Doma castle was much better than the pub in Kaipo. Doma's bar had a wide variety of liquor to choose from, so Terra could mix things up from time to time. Another thing he enjoyed about Doma was the other knights…or ex-knights. They loved to drink and gamble just as much as he did so he frequently lost track of time within the tavern, but he knew he had been there a few days or so.

"Wonder what happened to that pretty, little waitress that used to work here?" one of the gruff men Terra was playing an innocent game of cards with asked. He didn't know his name, his name didn't matter but he thought it was something stupid like Wig? Wad? Edge? Wedge?

"The one who was asking about the prison system?" another skinnier man named Biggs inquired. For some reason Terra remembered his name.

"Yeah. Blue eyes." The shorter, fatter man nodded before throwing a card onto the dirty table.

Terra's eyes widened. He swallowed thickly as he instantly sobered. "What?"

"She was here not too long ago but before you showed up. She was a waitress here. Pretty thing, really brightened the room. Too bad she left," Biggs replied.

Terra smelled a rat. These men weren't lying, but they weren't really telling the truth either. They were…disguising something. His years of interrogation told him that.

"Sounds familiar," Terra mused and played his hand. "What did she look like?"

"She had short black hair, milky skin, and bright, blue eyes. Her eyes were _way_ to bright for someone with black hair…" the fat one explained while examining his hand.

The black hair threw him off and for a moment, he thought he might have been reading too much into this until he thought about Aqua. She wasn't dumb and he could easily see her dying her hair or buying a wig to disguise her distinct features and avoid capture.

"Do you know her name?" Terra probed innocently but he had a feeling he didn't seem too innocent. Innocence wasn't something he exuded often.

"She said her name was Terra. But I don't think—" Wedge's comment was cut off by a sharp grunt.

"Wedge!" Biggs hissed under his breath but Terra still heard him. Biggs had clearly kicked his friend under the table. He wanted him to shut up.

Terra's eyes narrowed into slits. "Where did she go?"

The goof balls blanched. They were wearing helmets that hid their eyes, but it couldn't hide their blanching skin.

"Why do you want to know?" Biggs answered much too quickly, clearly getting defensive.

That confirmed it. They were talking about Aqua and she had sworn them to secrecy.

_Clever girl._

"She's an old friend." Terra smiled smugly, threw down his hand of cards, and crossed his arms. They were caught. All three of them knew it.

"We aren't telling you anything, pretty boy," Wedge barked and tossed his cards carelessly to the table as well. "She was very nice and we told her that we would help her in any way we could, and we aren't about to tell some stranger where she went. She said people were tracking her and we aren't about to put her in harms way."

Terra rolled his eyes at the moron's loyalty.

_Light-damn that girl can charm anyone with that radiance of hers!_

"I mean her no harm." Terra shrugged a shoulder.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe, pretty boy," Biggs grumbled. "You aren't from around here. You're always shit faced and you have been gambling with thugs. You're trouble."

Why was everyone calling him that? Granted, it was probably true but damn!

"I just want to know where she went," replied the Keyblade Master. He did his best to sound sincere and to remove the smug, cocky tone his voice was favoring.

"I can't tell you where she went, but I _can_ tell you where you're going!" Wedge rose to his feet and began popping his knuckles.

Terra scoffed. He wasn't afraid of the lower ranking ex-knight. Knights like Biggs and Wedge that were trained and recruited outside of the Dark Capital in other Dark Realm cities weren't worthy of wiping his boots. They were probably been forced into service after a Purge. Knights like them were only used to help pick up the slack in the other cities and areas of the Dark Realm because Hollow Bastion couldn't create enough Dark Knights to deploy to _every_ corner of the Dark Realm. They weren't used for Purges or anything meaningful like the elite from Hollow Bastion were. They were just bodies to put into armor that would then be placed in Dark Realm cities or in occupied cities. All they did was keep order, intimidate citizens, monitor the city's basic activities, and maybe go to a local prison if they were lucky.

Wedge was twice Terra's size in width, but size had nothing to do with defeating an opponent. Terra was far from small but this man made him look inadequate when it came to girth. However, Wedge also looked sloppy. Even while tipsy, Terra was confident he could take him. Wedge had no fucking idea who he was talking to.

Wedge blazed around the table and grabbed Terra by his collar, hauling him out of his seat. Terra just smiled and resisted the tugging. Wedge released his collar when he realized he wouldn't be throwing Terra out of the bar on his ass like he had originally planned and reared his arm back so he can punch him. Wedge struck at Terra but Terra masterfully maneuvered around him and swiftly pinned him face first onto the table, causing cards, chips, and booze to fly everywhere.

"I am going to ask you again." Terra growled, his voice dangerous and deep. He ground Wedge's face into the uneven, wooden surface of the table, filth and grain grinding into his pores. "Where did she go?"

"Let him go!" Biggs threatened and drew his sword. Terra wormed his arm around Wedge's throat and placed his other hand on top of his head in a perfect chokehold, a chokehold he'd used to break the necks of thousands.

"One step closer and I'll break his neck," Terra threatened and began twisting Wedge's neck preemptively.

"You can't do it," Biggs snorted.

"You sure?" Terra asked sarcastically as he began pulling Wedge's head away from his neck, rotating and pulling his head in bizarre angles that will eventually dislocate and fracture the bones in his neck. The joints and bones began to pop and Terra felt Wedge tense with panic.

"Stop it, Biggs!" Wedge pleaded frantically as his spine continued to pop in his ears. " He's stronger than he looks!"

"You underestimated me," Terra snarled. "You ignored one of the most important and most critical rules of combat. You _never_ underestimate your opponent. You may be a 'retired' knight but I doubt you were ever anything higher than a fucking infantryman. You shame our former guild."

"You…You're…" Biggs stuttered. "You're very familiar. I know you. You're one of the elite, aren't you? Why are you _here_?"

Terra glared at Biggs and completely disregarded his questions. "Tell me where _Terra_ went."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I can't say how much I appreciate it.
> 
> As always my additional characters DO exist in the Final Fantasy universe. Anna and Tellah (and desert fever and antlions) exist in the Final Fantasy IV universe and they were from Kaipo (a desert oasis) in that game too so I inserted that here because Terra needed to be rescued and all that jazz. So if you want to look them and Kaipo up, you can! And if you missed Aqua's POV, she WILL be back in the next chapter and we might get a Terqua reunion! You'll just have to read the next chapter and find out! I'm evil I know and I'm going away now.
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	32. Whose Side Are You On?

* * *

_Give me hope in silence_

_It's easier; it's kinder_

_Tell me not of heartbreak_

_It plagues my soul, plagues my soul_

_We will meet back on this road_

_Nothing gaining, truth be told_

_But I'm not the enemy_

_It isn't me, the enemy_

_\- The Enemy, Mumford and Sons_

* * *

Oerba was quiet. Desolate and quiet. Aqua didn't know what kind of horrible Purge had been conducted there, but there was almost nothing living left. There were no people and no animals, but there were Heartless. The former town was completely abandoned, barren, and virtually dead.

Power lines that once provided the town with electricity still stood but energy no longer coursed through their wired veins. Massive windmills slowly and eerily spun in vain in the distance. The metal structures and establishments slowly corroded and rusted, a shadow of their former glory. Brown, stone roads, steps, and walkways crumbled and cracked, and other than Heartless, flora proved to be the dominant and only living inhabitant of the city. Their powerful roots dug into the idle roads, mercilessly breaking them apart to sustain their life, the only life to be seen for miles.

The abundance of nothingness, ruination, and implied death in Oerba was depressing, but it provided them with a safe house. Oerba wasn't too far from Nalbina but far enough inland to be considered outside of the desert. It lied between the Nalbina Fortress and the Barheim Passage, which led to Nalbina Dungeon. It was farther away from both but the safety it provided was worth the extra commute.

The group of five found a small, unorthodox house to stay in and the house actually had beds! However, the home and beds had an eerie feel to them because they knew they were likely dwelling in a house of the deceased and sleeping in the beds of the dead but they tried not to think about it.

It was late but Aqua was refusing to go to sleep until she cast a sufficient Cure. She didn't want to go into the Barheim Passage without some form of white magic on her side and she _definitely_ didn't want to bust into Nalbina Dungeon without the ability to heal herself.

After dinner, Aqua and Naminé had retreated to a rooftop garden above what used to be a schoolhouse to work on her white magic, but it wasn't going well.

The rooftop was full brilliant flora. Flowerpots filled with wild, tropical plants and flowers were everywhere. The flowerbeds were feral and neglected but most of the flowers had managed to survive despite the neglect and the unsettling ruination around them. However, The forsaken garden was perfect for practicing white magic. The flowers were ideal subjects. If the element of Cure, of life were in one''s magic, the flowers would respond and grow. Like any other living organism, it would respond to the life properties inside the spell and the flowers would reach for the bizarre form of magical photosynthesis.

The flower or subject couldn't' be completely dead. That was critical. Like humans, if the subject didn't have life, life could not be breathed into it. No one could revive that which had no life. Once death's seal was in place, no amount of white magic could break it. The spell would go into the body but it would do nothing for it. A dead body can't absorb life. Once lamented, a life form would be incapable of sustaining anything, even white magic. Master Eraqus had taught them that well. He made it abundantly clear that white magic only benefited those still living. He had explained that once a being had breathed its last, pumping white magic into them was futile.

Aqua could tell he had done just that thousands of times. She didn't like to think about how many of Eraqus's friends had died during the last stands of the Great War, how many friends he had tried to save, how many he had cast Cure upon in vain in a fruitless attempt to revive them when it was already too late. Aqua wouldn't even be able to do that for her friends and family at this rate. Her white magic was sterile even for _living_ beings.

Naminé sat silently in a decrepit rocking chair nearby while Aqua tried to revive a dying flower in a moss-covered flowerpot nearby. Aqua's hand illuminated and turned bright green. Blinding white lights cascaded from her fingertips and streaks of yellow spiraled around her appendage. The spell _looked_ perfect, but then again, it always did. The magic caressed the wilted flower and begged it to grow, to bloom, to respond, but it refused.

Aqua screamed and threw the flowerpot across the rooftop. "It's gone!" She grabbed fistfuls of her hair. "It's gone!"

Naminé flinched at the outburst before calmly rising to her feet to retrieve the flowerpot Aqua had thrown. She knelt down to aid the discarded flower and carefully poured its soil and roots back into the pot. "I don't know why… There isn't any magic suppressant left in your system and you know how to use white magic. You've done it for years. It doesn't make sense."

Aqua watched Naminé cast Cure onto the wilted bud. The flower twitched, the stem stiffened, the leaves stretched, and the bud brightened.

It didn't make sense. There was no reason she shouldn't be able to revive the flower just as Naminé had. Technically, it wasn't conjuring that she had a problem with. Conjuring wasn't the problem. She supposed she _was_ conjuring, just not properly. Aqua could go through the motions of Cure, Cura, Curaga and even Esuna. They looked right and even _felt_ right but in the end, they were ineffective and couldn't heal, restore, or treat _anything._

Sighing, Naminé placed the cracked pot on the ledge. "Have you considered that maybe this is…psychological?"

Aqua groaned and sat on one of the many crumbling benches resting against the roof's edge. "It crossed my mind."

She still hadn't told them about the nitty-gritty details of her rehabilitation. She'd explained that she had been put on magic suppressant to keep her from using magic and escaping, but she hadn't told them about the Black Mage project and all that it entailed. She didn't tell them that there was a possibility that there was something else inside her magic suppressant that would extinguish her ability to use white magic forever. She also left out some of the more gruesome details that would suggest that this could indeed be the result of post-traumatic stress.

"Personally, I've never heard of someone's emotional or mental state impacting their magic, but I can see how it could be possible. Lots of people rely on emotions to cast so it would make sense. Not to mention white magic requires equilibrium, tranquility, and balance…" Naminé laced her fingers in her lap and took a seat next to Aqua.

"I know…" Aqua exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She had a point. How could she expect to bring equilibrium, balance, and sustainability to others when she herself was not balanced?

"So maybe it will just take a while… You know, until the trauma wears off."

"What if it doesn't come back?" she wondered. "That trauma will always be with me. I'll get better. I get better every day but…"

Naminé's small hand fell on top of Aqua's. "Maybe that kind of thinking is what's holding you back. I have faith in you, Aqua, but maybe you need to have more faith in yourself."

"Maybe."

It made sense, but it didn't really help anything. They had supposedly identified the problem but they hadn't solved it. What could solve it? If this was psychological, then what could she do to fix it? How could she break an unidentified mental block? What had even caused it? Was it because she felt ineffective? Was it because she had felt fruitless for so long? Was it because she felt like she couldn't help _anyone_ after she had failed Kairi, Eraqus, and even herself? There were some things she lost inside Tarnen that she would never recover and she knew that, but she hated to think that her white magic would be one of those things. She loved healing others and it pained her to think that she would never be able to do that for anyone again.

"Come on," Aqua stood and brushed the soil off her black shorts. "We need to head back and try to get some sleep. We're going to head for the Barheim Passage tomorrow and we should get some rest."

* * *

Eventually, they made it across the vacant, former suburb and back to the house. They quietly made their way up rusted stairs, and into their temporary dwelling. It was quant equipped with kitchen, small bedroom, and tiny bath. It was filled with the former owner's furniture and belongings. Aqua assumed everything was just as they left it before they were forced from their homes, killed, or imprisoned somewhere. Pots and pans were even waiting on the stove, waiting to create a meal that would never occur. She liked to think that the owners were alive somewhere but just imprisoned like Kairi.

Ven at the sink in the kitchen, washing the dishes they had used during dinner. Silently, he motioned to the bedroom of four bunk beds, suggesting that Xion and Riku had already called it a night.

Aqua nodded her understanding and grabbed a towel so she could wipe the Heartless blood and froth off herself and Naminé. They'd encountered a few Neoshadows on their way back which wasn't surprising. It was hard to go anywhere in Oerba without encountering some form of Heartless.

She shifted by Ventus, dampened the cloth, and handed it to Naminé.

"You're bleeding..." Naminé sighed as she wiped the Heartless discharge off her neck and forearms. Being a long-range offensive, she'd avoided most of the gore and violence but some of the carnage had still splattered onto her during the struggles.

"I know," Aqua stated softly and began digging through the cabinets in search of the first aid kit she had been using a lot lately.

"You know she won't let you heal her." Ven rolled his eyes and continued washing the dishes.

"Ven, be nice and respect the standards I've set for myself, please," Aqua chided lightly and placed the kit on the counter. She was tired of everyone complaining about her new rule. If she couldn't heal herself, she felt she didn't need to rely on the others' abilities unless it was life or death. Until she regained her abilities, she had vowed only to treat herself the old fashioned way. They found it to be cruel and thought it similar to punishment, and she assumed that it was in a way. However, she still didn't think she should have her minor wounds treated until she could treat them herself. She was hoping the method would motivate her or would trigger something, but so far it had only frustrated her companions. Either way she saw it as incentive to regain the ability to cast white magic and an opportunity to practice.

"Speaking of healing, how did it go?" Ven asked.

Aqua shrugged indifferently as Naminé handed the cloth back to her. Gratefully, she took the cloth and wiped the Heartless sludge and her blood off her arms and face. Once she removed the excess fluid from her body, she tossed the filthy cloth into a pile of clothing across the room and grabbed a clean, white towel so she could dry the dishes Ven was washing.

"Nothing?" He handed a dish to her, trying to ignore the fact that she wasn't treating her wounds yet.

"No, but it's okay. I'll adjust," Aqua began putting the dry dishes into the yellow cabinets overhead.

"You'll get it back. It may just take a while."

"Naminé thinks it's psychological," she replied flatly.

"Do you?"

"It makes sense. It definitely isn't physical. My magic is stronger than it's ever been," Aqua stated as she dried another plate. She forgot how much she liked doing simple things like cleaning dishes. Before she hated it but now she indulged in the normal and trivial because those things were so seldom in her life as a fugitive. It was nice to do something other than fight, run, and hide.

"I'm tired," Naminé yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"Yeah, go ahead." Aqua smiled at her. "I'm going to help Ven with these dishes, treat my wounds, then I'll crash too. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight." The blonde grinned and walked to the other side of the small living quarters where the inadequate bunk beds laid.

"Goodnight," Aqua and Ven called in unison.

The room grew quiet, the only sounds being the subtle running of water, clinking of dishes being put away, and the eerie shuffling, wheezing, and screeching of Heartless outside.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Ventus was the first to break the silence.

"I'm ready to get Kairi but I'm not ready to go through a passage and perform a prison break," Aqua confessed as she put away the last dish.

"The prison break probably won't happen tomorrow. We'll be lucky if we can get halfway through the Barheim Passage. Riku and I were thinking we should go to Nalbina Fortress, restock, then go through the desert and hopefully make it into the passage before nightfall tomorrow. Then we'll make camp and try busting into the prison the next day."

"What if she's not there?" Aqua mused as she sat on the kitchen counter by the sink. She pulled the first aid kit into her lap and began pulling out bandages, swabs, and Potions.

"Then…we'll just go to Palamecia like those guys told you to," Ven replied with a shrug as he watched Aqua skillfully sterilize the nasty cuts and scrapes on her arms, face, and neck.

"Ven, we can't get there on foot. Unless we get an airship or a glider, we aren't reaching that prison." Aqua meticulously wrapped the medical tape around the deep, grotesque, claw marks on her bicep, trying to forget the times Terra had attentively wrapped medical tape around her joints for her.

Frustrated with him, his ability to use a Keyblade glider, and the memory itself, she bit into the medical binding, ruthlessly severing it from the roll.

"We'll just have to think of something else." Ven patted Aqua's shoulders. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, let's tackle this dungeon and focus our energy on that. Then we'll do what we have to do…whatever that may be."

"Sounds good." Aqua yawned, put the medical contents back into the kit, and jumped off the counter. "Come on. Let's go to bed. I don't want to think about this anymore. It's depressing."

* * *

Terra watched from the shadows like a good demon. He didn't get too close to his former charge, but he didn't let her leave his sight either. He observed intently from a distance as he had since he had located her and her small party a few hours ago.

Nalbina's bazaar was buzzing. It was full of life, consumers, tropical plants, merchants, sand, Children of Light, and a former Dark Knight.

Surprisingly enough, the fortress actually had a paved surface. Golden concrete laid the foundation for people to travel and for merchant's stands and booths to stand while the towering walls of surrounding buildings guided everyone through the small market-like fortress.

In hindsight, Terra was very glad Anna and Tellah had convinced him to take his hunter's cowl with him. At first, he didn't want it. He didn't see the point in taking it. Why would he need something like that? It turned out; he needed it to hide. He hid his mouth and nose with his cowl and pulled his hood over his hair and his eyes. He wasn't the only man dressed like this considering it was apparently typical desert attire, but he was the only one with an ironclad arm so he tried to keep his cape over it too.

After _coaxing_ some helpful hints out of Biggs and Wedge, it didn't take Terra long to find Aqua and he was planning on thoroughly scolding her for leaving such a visible trail. She was lucky the Dark Rule was waiting for her to come to them. Otherwise she wouldn't be nonchalantly wandering around this sandy bazaar at all. He was also planning on scolding her for confiding in loudmouths like Biggs and Wedge. Terra was _planning_ on scolding her but that would require confronting her and he couldn't seem bring himself to do that.

Terra walked to a fruit merchant's stand, thumped munny at the supplier, and picked up an apple he knew he couldn't eat. He tossed the shiny, red apple up and down in his palm while he returned to yet another shadow one of the many colorful kiosks created. Eating his apple would require removing his cowl and he was too close to Aqua to do that. He would have to eat it later.

Aqua was laughing with her friends as she walked from booth to booth and gathered various supplies. Her laugh was soft and subtle but to Terra it was loud, shrill, and carried as if she were bellowing. Her smile was dazzling and her eyes were bright. Light, he forgot how much he missed her…but, wasn't that the point of constantly drinking himself into a stupor? To forget? To forget how bright she was? To forget how her eyes shimmered when she smiled or laughed? To forget how she made him feel? To forget _everything_?

She had cut her hair since he saw her last, like _really_ cut her hair! Aqua had hacked her long indigo mane to her chin. Some of it trailed down the back of her neck as well so the length was a bit inconsistent but damn, did it suit her. She looked amazing. She looked… _sexy._ Terra's mouth grew painfully dry but not because he needed water.

They walked farther into the town of vibrant concessions, tawny buildings, palm trees, and walkways covered in barrels and crates. Eventually, they stopped to take a break far into the bazaar on the fortress' stone steps, a lunch break by the look of it. Aqua handed each of them food and napkins and politely informed them if they had something on their mouths or if they needed to eat more. He didn't need to hear her to know what she was doing. He knew her well enough to know.

_What the fuck am I doing?_ he asked himself, realizing (not for the first time) how completely out-of-place he was and would be if he did somehow manage to convince them to accept his help.

Technically, he knew what he was doing. He was acting on impulse. Acting on impulse was what he was doing _a lot_ of lately, but this seemed extreme even by his standards. Clearly, he had lost his mind. These people hated him. _She_ hated him. He was the last person they would want to see. Why had he followed Aqua here again? What did he even want? What was he hoping to gain in all this? Some form of redemption?

He had told himself that he wanted to help. He told himself that he was doing this to help Aqua find Kairi, to help Aqua avoid capture or death at the end of spring, to gain her forgiveness, maybe even to get back at the Dark Rule for what it had done to him. Overall, he supposed that translated to him just _trying_ to be a better person or him _trying_ to do the right thing. He supposed his actions were the result of having a conscience; a conscience that he could actually hear and it was telling him to do really stupid things. It was what told him to take care of Kairi, to give Sora his charm back, to be kind to Master Eraqus, and it was probably even what told him to leave the Dark Rule. Now the damned thing was telling him to help Aqua in any way that he could.

Having a conscience was for the birds. He didn't like having that nagging yet quiet voice in his head. The damned thing was mute for _years_ but Aqua had once again given it voice. She had nurtured it into the nuisance that plagued him now. He didn't know what was worse, having a conscience or having a conscience that he was actually listening to.

_What a joke…_

In reality, he probably just wanted her, to see her, to be with her. Maybe he wanted to be better because of her or maybe it was something deeper than that. He didn't have a fucking clue. He felt weird. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he was pretty sure he wanted to help. No, he _knew_ he wanted to help. He wanted to help her and he wanted to help Kairi. It wasn't like he had anything else to do other than get drunk or die and dying a monster wasn't something he wanted, _being_ a monster wasn't something he wanted. He'd left that life behind in the desert with his armor.

While hiding in the shadows, Terra had come to the conclusion that he no longer had any balls. He couldn't for the life of him get the nerve to approach them. He was rooted in place.

_Coward._

He felt different, inside and outside. Especially when he was sober and actually allowed himself to feel. Going after Aqua made him feel more alive than he had felt in months. Like he had some form of purpose again. He'd lost his purpose in life when Aqua had proven to him that his former purpose was corrupt, when his masters had used him, when he learned he was nothing but a puppet, when it dawned on him that he wasn't the _hero_ his masters had led him to believe he was. Yes, he had purpose again but he apparently didn't have balls anymore.

_Make a move! Do something! Something_ **other** _than standing around like a weirdo!_

The ex-knight growled. He had no nerve and no balls. Of that he was certain.

* * *

Barheim Passage was about as pleasant as Aqua thought it would be. It was dark, dank, and dreary, but some areas were lit better than others. The supposedly abandoned passage was surprisingly intact but Snow hated this place. He hated enclosed areas and the passage was definitely an enclosed area. The ceiling was high but it felt as if they were going farther and farther underground. There was no natural light anywhere, just the occasional light fixture that emitted a blinding, yellow glow.

Aqua had to ride Snow because of how unnerved he'd become. He refused to be led or ridden by anyone other than her. The chocobo was technically domesticated but still demonstrated feral tendencies occasionally, especially in places like the Barheim Passage.

Carefully, she guided the bird over the endless trails of mining tracks they followed. The dual set of tracks seemed to lead nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Mining carts were scattered sporadically throughout the space and she had to maneuver around them constantly. Some remained on the tracks while others had toppled off them. Some areas were still intact, but others had not been as fortunate. Debris and rubble often blocked their path, forcing them to turn around and journey down yet another passageway.

The towering walls and archways of the passage were tawny with unusual designs of dark orange on them. The aged, moldy walls seemed to ooze darkness and sludge while the wires that still offered the passage some power slithered along the walls like snakes and hung from the ceiling like vines.

Distracted by the scenery, Aqua loosened her grip on Snow's reigns and the instant he noticed he screeched and swiftly wretched around as if to charge something behind them. She gasped and tried to force him to face the opposite direction.

"Snow!" she scolded and yanked at his reigns. "Stop it!"

"Does he see something?" Riku asked and tried to help Aqua calm the oversized bird.

"I-I don't know," Aqua stuttered. "I can't tell if he's just spooked by this place or if he is actually hearing something."

"I thought I heard something earlier…but that may just be me being paranoid," Xion confessed as her eyes squinted to see past the blackness Snow was peering into. "This place freaks me out too."

Aqua concurred. This place was downright spooky. It was supposedly abandoned but there were _so_ many places to hide down here. There were tunnels and paths everywhere located off both sides of the tracks they followed and they could lead anywhere. She was honestly starting to wonder why it was called a passage and not a maze. At this rate, it would take them days to navigate this place. They continually had to turn around and change course because large tawny gates or rubble and debris would block their path. It eliminated some of the vast possibilities but it was still frustrating to continually start over.

"I don't hear anything now," Ventus stated but continued to glare down into the blackness behind them as if to ensure no one was following them.

"Just stay alert. There could be anything in this passage. I wouldn't be surprised if some Heartless have made their way in here," Riku said, motioning for them to keep moving.

"Do you think they have spread this far?" Naminé asked while following Riku closely.

"They were in Oerba so I wouldn't be surprised." Riku shrugged.

"They're probably using them in Purges now." Aqua kicked Snow's sides to urge him forward with the group. "That would explain why they're outside Hollow Bastion. I think that was why they were created. Ansem probably wants to make up for the lack of manpower by making the Heartless."

"The Dark Rule is probably tired of recruiting Dark Knights from the other major cities in the Dark Realm because they've had to resort to Children of Light who have gotten Purged into service," Riku added.

"In Doma, I can't tell you how many of the deserters there said they had been Purged into service then relocated and trained in another Dark Realm city. Some of them were even forced to be stationed in their own home after it became occupied territory…" Xion shook her head solemnly.

"Hollow Bastion can't make or train enough to station everywhere so they let the other cities recruit or create their own. That's why there are so many varieties of them in so many parts of the world now. Hollow Bastion isn't the only place making Dark Knights anymore," Aqua explained.

"Yeah but they make the best ones." Ven mused.

"Knights from Hollow Bastion are the only ones that conduct Purges and things of that nature. They make the ones from places like Deling City look like kittens." Aqua rolled her eyes. "They aren't trained the same. They don't receive that intense, extraordinary training that only the Dark Capital provides. The ones from Hollow Bastion even get treatments to make them stronger. Their doctors and scientists shoot them up with Darkness."

"How is that even possible?" Xion squeaked, wide eyed.

"It's complicated. They explained it to me once but I don't really recall exactly how it worked," Aqua admitted. "The point is that the Dark Rule is probably tired of putting men that they don't train personally into Dark Knight armor and in Dark Realm territory, thus Heartless were made so eventually, they wouldn't have to."

"But the Heartless are feral," Naminé whispered. "That doesn't make sense. They can't control them."

"Maybe they don't want to," Riku replied. "If they just want them to kill or scare people, then they don't really need to control them. Just release them during a Purge and let all hell break loose, and once they are done, pack them back up and go home. Maybe leave a few lurking around to keep the fear alive even after the Purge ends. A bitter little reminder wandering around, a horror story for the kids to make sure they behave."

"That's sick," Ventus hissed.

"That's the Dark Rule," Aqua said bitterly. "Armored monsters aren't enough. They want real monsters to scare everyone into submission too."

"Aqua," Naminé peered up at the girl mounted atop the massive chocobo. "I'm hungry…" She held her stomach and winced a bit.

Aqua cast her gaze farther ahead. "As soon as we find a well-lit, isolated area we'll stop and I'll make some food."

"Good. I'm starving," Ventus added and patted his own hollow stomach.

"Maybe Snow will be more cooperative after we take a break." Aqua sighed and patted the unnerved bird's neck.

* * *

"Great. Another dead-end." Riku oozed sarcasm as he inspected the wall piled high with derailed mining carts, rubble, and wreckage.

"We needed to stop and eat anyway." Aqua slid off Snow's back.

"We might as well make camp," Ven added. "This looks like a good area as any to stay for the night."

"Yeah. I need to work on my map of this place before he head farther in, anyway," Riku agreed and pulled his map out of his pack.

Aqua petted Snow and nuzzled his bill in an attempt to offer him solace. He was twitchy, wild, and unnerved and that was the last thing they needed. She needed him calm so he would be more cooperative and helpful throughout this journey. Snow being perturbed made everyone paranoid and nervous, including her. Not to mention, he was making her life harder by being so difficult. Everything was taking longer than it should because he continually turned around as if he were hearing something or wanting to return to the entrance.

The petting seemed to help a bit, but she couldn't continue petting him. She had to feed everyone. She took her pack of supplies from Snow's large satchel and threw it over her shoulder.

"Here, buddy." Aqua reached into the knapsack and offered the bird some gyshal greens she had bought for him in Nalbina.

Snow sniffed the offering and shifted the food around but didn't really eat any of them.

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips. She couldn't remember the last time Snow refused to eat.

"What is bothering you, big guy?" she asked as she patted his back.

The white chocobo stopped sifting through the greens and bristled, peering down into the underpass. Suspicion got the best of her and she gazed down the underground passage too. She squinted and tried her best to see what the bird saw or sensed but she couldn't. There was nothing but blackness and mine carts.

Aqua sighed and patted his neck once more. "Try to calm down, okay?"

She tied Snow's reigns to what appeared to be a form of mine cart station. She looped his leather reigns through the thin bars of the metal railing that guarded the terminal and made a firm knot that would keep the bird from running after whatever he thought he saw within the tunnels.

Once she was finished tying Snow to the underground depot, she ascended the short steps and journeyed into the tunnel entrance with the others. Aqua decided to investigate and hopefully find a place to make supper like she'd promised.

The area almost resembled a temporary dwelling. The space had a large column that was surrounded by railing and a stairwell that encircled the area. Aqua ascended the multiple flights of angular, debris-covered stairs and entered a foyer like space full of large support beams. She assumed this would be as good a place as any to make food, probably even camp. It was well lit, had lots of space, and it wasn't too far from the tracks they'd been following. She would've preferred an area with one entrance but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Throwing her pack to the ground, she began digging around for supplies. She took out some fruit and continued digging to attempt to find some of the jerky they'd purchased.

Riku took a seat across from her and eyed map of this troublesome passage, his brow furrowed as he checked off the dead ends they'd encountered so far but Aqua didn't know how he managed to focus. Snow was screeching like a banshee in the tunnel.

Aqua sighed and shook her head. "What has gotten into that bird?"

"Poor thing." Naminé frowned as she entered the entryway and looked back sympathetically at the direction of the screeching.

"What if he really hears something?" Xion inquired, rubbing her shoulders as if to ward off some chill. "I'm almost positive I heard something on my way up here…"

"How can you hear anything over Snow?" Ventus held his fingers in his ears.

"Riku," Aqua glanced over at the silver-haired Keyblade Master. "Maybe you and Ven should go check it out? Just to be safe."

"Right." Riku rolled up his map and rose to his feet. "Come on, Ven," he patted the blonde's back and gestured for them to travel back into the main tunnel of the passage.

* * *

"Damn it!" Terra hissed under his breath when he bumped into a nearby mining cart, causing the obstruction to shriek and plummet to the ground with an anguished wail. He was suddenly very glad he had played it safe and had lagged behind the little group. If he hadn't, they would have _definitely_ heard that crash. His caution was being rewarded but he had almost lost Aqua's trail in this damn passage as a result. If it weren't for that screeching bird, he would've lost her completely. Then again, it was also the bird's fault he was behind in the first place. That stupid fowl sensed him even when he wasn't that close to them. If it weren't for Aqua, the damn thing would have taken off after him and chased him out of this passage. Even the fucking bird hated him.

As Terra walked along the pathway of tracks, he realized he was closing in on a dead-end. It looked like it was where the passage's construction had ceased. The archways that would normally lead to more tracks and tunnels were packed to the brim with blackened earth and the only way to proceed was by journeying into a tunnel to the left near what barely qualified as a depot.

Removing his cowl, Terra cautiously approached the station. He could hear distant voices. They had probably stopped for the day to make camp.

Upon journeying closer to the depot, he realized Aqua's _feathered friend_ was hitched to the paling in the center of the station. He thanked Darkness that dumb bird was tied up but it was screeching at him again like it always did when he got too close. He was seriously questioning whether chocobos were herbivores or not because that thing _really_ looked like it wanted to eat him.

The ex-knight hid behind a support beam in the center of an archway to get out of sight but it wasn't helping. It was still screaming bloody murder. Did that thing remember him? Surely it didn't remember what he did to them the day Aqua escaped. Chocobos weren't that smart.

"Shh!" Terra grumbled even though he knew good and _damn_ well the bird didn't know what he was suggesting, but he was desperate.

"Shut up! They'll hear you and I don't know if I'm ready to blow my cover yet! So be a good, little bird and shut the _fuck_ up!" Terra growled through barred teeth, holding his hands out in front of him as he apprehensively approached the chocobo.

Terra needed to do something. He needed to just confront them and get it over with, but what would he say? What would they want to hear? What would they believe? What if they didn't believe him? What would he do then? Live as a miserable, drunken deserter for the rest of his life? No, he decided he didn't want to live like that anymore. He wanted something else. He wasn't sure what that something else was but he wanted something more out of life than bars, drinks, and gambling.

The bird wasn't shutting up. In fact, it was getting worse. At this rate, someone would come to check on it for sure. He would have to fall back. He wasn't ready for this. He would just come back later when the thing was asleep…or when he decided to grow a pair.

Terra turned to retreat but before he could get too far he felt something sharp poking into his back.

_Shit._

_"You've got a lot of nerve showing your traitorous face around here."_

Terra held his hands up in surrender and glanced over his shoulder to see the blonde boy glaring daggers at him and the half-baked Keyblade Master digging the apex of his Keyblade into his back.

"Hi, guys." Terra smirked during his awkward, forced greeting.

"You have ten seconds to get lost or I promise you the walls of this passage will be the last thing you ever see," Riku threatened.

"I didn't come to fight." The ex-knight slowly turned to face the young men.

"Then what did you come for? Aqua?" he scoffed and continued to point his Keyblade at Terra's form. "You yanked her out from under me once and I'll be damned if I let that happen again."

"I didn't come for her. I mean, well, kind of but not in the way you think. I just want to talk to her."

The blonde's brow furrowed while Riku merely glared at him.

Terra sighed and summoned his Keyblade only to throw it down at their feet as a sign of surrender. "Look, I came here because I want to help."

"Why?" The blonde Child of Light looked baffled.

_Why._ There was that word again. Terra loathed that word.

"Because…it's the right thing to do?" Not knowing what else to say, he gave them what he thought they wanted to hear. It was becoming more and more clear that he really hadn't thought this though… _at all._

The duo exchanged glances but before anyone could say anything else, a flicker of blue from the tunnel's entrance caught his attention.

_She_ was there.

Silently, Aqua stood behind the railing, looking at him with a blank, cold expression on her face. How long she'd been there, he didn't know, but she had clearly come to investigate and check on her friends.

The two other girls followed closely behind her before ultimately taking permanent stances at her sides. They looked shocked, curious and a bit frightened, but Aqua was glaring at him as if he wasn't anything at all. She was practically looking _through_ him. He wouldn't even call the look she was giving him acknowledgement.

The tension in the air was unbearable as they held each other's gaze. It was so thick, tyrannical, and profuse that no one dared speak, not even the boys. Their eyes locked for only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. Her look was unreadable at first, but the longer he looked at her the more he realized she looked…hurt? The expression on her face softened momentarily and her eyes fell uncomfortably to the floor.

Everyone was looking at her, the girls, the boys, Terra, and even Snow. They were waiting on her to see what their next move should be.

The blue girl gazed at the intruder for a second longer before turning on her heel to leave as quickly as she emerged.

"Aqua, wait!" Terra instinctively ran after her to keep her from pushing him away before he even got a chance to explain himself, to keep her from ending this endeavor before it ever truly began.

Aqua didn't wait. She ignored him and tried to create as much distance between them as possible. She stormed into the tunnel and made her way up the many flights of stairs near the entryway.

Before the ex-knight could reach the stairs or Aqua, the male pests had grabbed his arms and were pulling him backwards. If he couldn't get through to her, they would throw him out and he wouldn't be able to talk to her at all…ever. She was making it abundantly clear to everyone that she didn't want _anything_ that he had to offer. She had probably heard most of what he said to her companions, she just didn't care. She didn't want anything to do with him.

Terra started to panic. His mind and heart raced, and his palms began to sweat. This wasn't going well at all. He had to do something, anything that would persuade her to _at least_ give him a chance. He had to act fast before she reached the top of the stairs and let everyone know that he and his help were far from welcome there.

"You don't have to go to Nalbina, Aqua! I know where Kairi is and she isn't there! You have to turn back trust me!" It was probably a cheap shot and he knew it but it was the only card he had to play and this was probably his only chance to play it.

She froze, her hand tightly clenching the metal railing of the stairwell. Aqua _almost_ glanced over her shoulder at him, her icy gaze _almost_ connecting with him.

Her hesitation lasted but a moment before she turned her back on him again.

"Aqua, please!" Terra fought the boys' hold on his arms but it was too late. She left without giving him a second glance or a word of acknowledgement. The cold shoulder she gave him could cause anyone to lose the ability to cast every variation of Fire forever. He shifted to run after her only to be reeled back by her guards again. He wanted to punch them both and he would have if it wouldn't make this awkward, horrible situation worse.

"I think she has made it clear that she doesn't want to talk to you," the Keyblade Master with silver hair snapped and pushed Terra toward the entrance.

The ex-knight breathed heavily as the two younger girls scurried past him to run up the stairs after Aqua.

"I'm not leaving until I talk to her," he seethed.

"You did. Now leave," Riku countered as the blonde wielder's eyes darted back and forth between them.

"That hardly qualified as talking." Terra rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Her actions say a lot," Riku challenged.

"Her _'actions'_ say she wants to find Kairi and I'm the only one who can help her do that." Terra's rebuttal was firm and to the point. "I'm the only one who actually knows where she is. So yeah, I think she _will_ want to talk to me once she calms down."

The blonde boy sighed heavily and ran his hand down his face. "He's right, Riku. He played the Kairi card. You saw how she reacted when he mentioned her. If I know Aqua, and I do, she'll probably want to talk to him at some point."

Riku stiffened and exhaled through his flared nostrils. "So you're suggesting we just take him to her and just believe everything he says?"

"Not necessarily, but I am saying she'll probably want to hear what he has to say about Kairi's supposed location. I know I do and I know you do too."

Before Riku could reply, the gentle sound of someone clearing their throat sounded at the top of the stairs. Terra followed the sound and saw a small, blonde girl standing halfway down the stairwell. She was clearly afraid to get any closer to him. She'd probably never seen a knight (even a former knight) this closer before.

"Aqua wants to talk to Ventus and Riku," she whispered timidly.

"That means that you stay put." Riku narrowed his eyes at the former knight.

" _Fuck you,"_ Terra mouthed the profanity so the young girl wouldn't hear and subtly shot Riku an obscene one-finger gesture. He wasn't doing anything for his case but some habits die-hard.

Riku chuckled and Ventus protectively guided the girl up the stairs as if Terra were a monster that would pounce them if given the chance.

Once they climbed the steps, Terra walked to a corner near the archway and nestled into it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Wayfinder, twiddling it between his fingers and over his knuckles. While the group discussed how to handle this unorthodox situation without any disruptions or opinions from him, he _seriously_ considered leaving. He probably should. It would be easy. It wasn't like they would miss him. Fuck, people from the Dark Rule didn't even miss him! He could _easily_ disappear into that passage and go back to not existing. He could easily go back to the empty life of bars, cheap inns, whiskey, gin, vodka, gambling, self-induced amnesia, and death, but for a reason unbeknownst to him, he didn't.

After what seemed like hours, Ventus walked down the stairwell and approached him.

Clumsily, Terra shoved his Wayfinder back into his pocket before he stood to properly address him. He always thought it was rude to sit while someone was speaking to you. Normally, Terra didn't give a shit about being rude but he didn't want to come off as a _complete_ asshole. He had busted this kid's ribs not too long ago and sitting while he talked to him would do nothing for his opinion of him.

_For the love of all that is Light and Holy, I actually care what her stupid friends think of me! Fuck!_

"She says you can stay…for now," Ventus said softly. "But you're sleeping out here with the other beasts."

"Fine," Terra grumbled. Honestly, he hadn't expected anything else. He knew if by some miracle Aqua allowed him to stay, he wouldn't be allowed anywhere near her or those she cared for. He couldn't really say that he blamed her either.

All thoughts left him as he saw Aqua's form wandering around in the archway of the next tier. He watched her intently. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned subtly. They held each other's gaze for a brief moment before she looked down and away and disappeared further into the passage.

"Are you hungry or something?" Ventus asked, trying to regain Terra's fleeting attention.

_No, but damn, am I thirsty._

"No, thank you," Terra replied, trying to being polite.

"Okay. Well, um…enjoy your night…? We usually get up around six or so, um, breakfast around sunrise? Not that we can see the sun rise in this tunnel…but you get the idea. So yeah just, uh, make yourself at home?" Ventus scratched the back of his blonde head.

Terra almost smiled. He kind of liked this kid.

"Yeah, this is awkward," the Light Keyblade wielder mumbled before climbing stairs to the upper area where the humans were allowed to sleep. Terra suddenly knew what it felt like to be a dog.

The ex-knight wandered back to his corner. He assumed that it was as good a place as any to sleep. He removed his cowl and tried to make a pillow out of it. Lying on his stomach, he attempted used his own arms and cowl as a pillow.

He felt like an idiot. He played it cool and confident in front of Ventus and Riku but inside, he really didn't think Aqua ever wanted to look at him again, much less talk to him. Her reaction was worse than he thought it would be, much worse. Yes, he had expected her to be upset and angry, but indifferent? He expected her to yell at him, maybe slap him…not ignore him. The disregard stung more than any slap ever could. Aqua might not hate him anymore, because she didn't _care_ enough to hate him anymore. He never thought he would _want_ Aqua to hate him but that was before he felt her icy indifference and insouciance. He never should have come here. He never should have done this. It was impulsive and really fucking stupid.

He hadn't been lying down, wallowing in regret, and seriously considering leaving again long before he heard soft feminine whispers and squeaking at the top of the stairs.

_"Where did he go?"_

Terra's dark brow rose. That sounded a bit like the blonde girl who had come to get Ventus and Riku not too long ago but he wasn't entirely sure.

_"I don't know. Did he leave?"_

_"Xion, I'm scared."_

Slowly, he saw the two girls come into view. The blonde was holding a blanket in one of arm and the other girl's waist with the other.

"He couldn't have gone far… Why would he leave?" the black-haired girl mused and eyed the space as best she could with the younger girl clinging to her and inhibiting her movements.

"Maybe he ran off because Aqua wouldn't talk to him?" the blonde queried.

"Over here, ladies." Terra decided to put an end to the rambling.

The blonde squeaked and quickly hid behind the older girl who had a terrified look on her face.

Terra sat up, knowing he wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and rested his elbow on his raised knee. He looked at them skeptically and expectantly when they continued to stare at him as if he had moogles flying out of his ears.

"Oh…um… Hello," the older girl waved nervously, shakily while the blonde girl emitted a tiny smile.

"Hi…?" Terra responded with a confused, creased brow.

"Uh, Aqua wanted us to give you this…" the golden-haired girl explained and laid a blue blanket on the ground next to him. He noticed she purposely avoided handing it to him. His brow knitted further as he inspected the strange offering.

"She said you should at least have a blanket," the brunette clarified.

Terra's expression instantly softened and the regret lessened. Maybe she wasn't completely indifferent after all. Maybe she did still care.

"Tell her I said thank you." He picked the neatly folded blanket off the ground.

_I guess even a dog needs a blanket._

"And thank you for bringing it to me" he added with a small smile

"Oh!" the black-haired Child of Light looked surprised that he had manners. "Y-You're welcome."

"Well, um, goodnight," she added before turning to leave with the other girl staying close to her side.

"Goodnight," the blonde added as well and Terra gave a curt wave.

Sighing heavily, Terra unfolded the blanket and was instantly hit with a painfully familiar aroma, the fragrance of lavender and jasmine. The blanket… _smelled_ like _her._ Not only had she given him a blanket, she had given him hers.

His eyes closed and he pulled the blanket to his face. He buried his nose in the fabric and took a huge drag of his own personal anesthesia.

She smelled even better than he remembered.

Terra removed the blanket from his face and carefully wrapped it around his shoulders before lying back down on the ground. He repositioned his arms and cowl so they could effectively imitate a pillow.

Once he stilled, Aqua's smell surrounded him and it worked as a tranquilizer. The tension left his shoulders and the anxiety left his entrails. The simple offering had given him assurance. It had given him the motivation he needed to not give up on her and to not turn his back on her…again.

She still cared. In some bizarre, unorthodox, minuscule way she cared and that was enough for him. As long as she cared, he wouldn't abandon her. As long as there was some conviction left, he would stay by her and he would help her. He owed her that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Woo! Bittersweet reunions for everyone! Next time we will get Aqua's take on things. Don't worry, I didn't forget about her. As always, all the places/locations (other than the Palamecian Desert Prison) in this story are either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. So the Barheim Passage, Nalbina, Oerba, and all that are places from Final Fantasy games so feel free to look them up if you want!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	33. I'm Sorry

* * *

_You never cared to hear the other side_

_So why would you care to keep this thing alive?_

_You paint me into the memory of all your pain_

_But I will not be drawn into the past again_

' _Cause all of this is all that I can take_

_And you could never understand the demons that I face_

_So go ahead and bat your eyes and lie right to the world_

_For with everything you are, you're just a little girl_

_\- Just a Little Girl, Trading Yesterday_

* * *

Angry? No. Somehow, angry just didn't do the feeling vigorously churning around inside her justice. Livid, fuming, seething, or furious seemed to provide a much more accurate description of her current mood.

Aqua had hoped that by ignoring Terra last night, by sleeping on it, by being the bigger person and not verbally ripping him apart in front of everyone like she wanted, that the intense, fuming emotion would fade. She was wrong. She was so livid she couldn't sleep, so as soon as morning came, she started making breakfast. Heatedly, she sifted through her pack, carelessly throwing its contents around as she looked for something that might qualify as a meal. She was so mad and frustrated she could spit nails.

Who did he think he was? How could he show up out of the blue with this good guy act saying he wanted to help after he refused to come with her? He had the chance to help her before, but did he take it? No. He attacked her and her family and tried to take her back to the Overlords instead. Why did he have to be so difficult?! It would have been _so_ much easier if he had just come with her when she asked him to! But no, he just busted in acting like he _deserved_ something! Like she owed him something! She didn't owe him _anything!_ If anything, _he_ owed _her_! To make matters worse, he made her feel like she _needed_ his help! He was manipulating her but _if_ he was telling the truth, she _did_ need his help…and they both knew it. That was the only reason she allowed him a chance to stay.

She still couldn't believe he had actually used her love for her sister against her, as a _bargaining chip_ … She thought he would have more respect for their abnormal, unorthodox relationship than that, but apparently, all it was to him now was a bag of tricks he could use against her so he could get what he wanted. Yes, their relationship was bizarre, unconventional, and above all confusing, but she thought he would at least have the decency to respect what they shared, no matter how crude or strange it was. If she didn't need him alive, she would go down there and put an icicle through his heart but Terra didn't have a heart so she would have to improvise and shoot one through his thick skull instead. She knew for a fact he had one of those.

_You know you don't really want to do that,_ chided the tiny voice in her head.

"Yes, I do," argued Aqua under her breath.

"Aqua…why?" Ven covered his head with a blanket to block out the unnecessary noise she was making.

"Oh! I'm sorry…" she apologized and tried get a hold of herself so she could be quieter.

She glanced around the room and noticed she had disturbed Xion and Naminé as well. Ventus was trying to go back to sleep but Riku, being the sound sleeper he was, had managed to sleep through her tantrum. Honestly, she wasn't even aware she was being that loud. She knew she was throwing things but she had lost all consideration for others in her vehement state. All she could concentrate on was trying to reel her temper back in but she was having little to no success. It seemed like the harder she tried, the worse it got. The longer the emotion steadily brewed within her, the more agitated she became.

"Are you angry?" Xion asked with a yawn as she got out of her sleeping bag and walked towards her.

"I'm frustrated," Aqua answered tersely, trying not to direct said frustration at the innocent.

"Because Terra is here?" the black-haired Keyblade wielder questioned and watched Aqua yank a knife out of her satchel.

"Yeah." Aqua stabbed a grapefruit she had wretched from the supply bag.

Xion looked puzzled and looked like she wanted to ask more questions but ultimately chose against it. Xion was probably afraid to, especially since the room was suddenly getting cold and she was starting to see her breath.

"Aqua…" Ventus mumbled into his blanket. "Cold."

"Sorry," she gave a sour apology as she proceeded to aggressively cut up the grapefruit.

Aqua began making six neat servings of fruit and bowls of what almost qualified as oatmeal for everyone's breakfast. She even made a plate for Terra despite her sullen condition. She knew Terra would be disappointed that there wasn't any meat but she had to save the little meat they had left for bigger meals. She had to carefully and strategically ration everything but the more bitter part of her just wanted to disappoint him.

Aqua sighed and filled a small thermos with water. "Will you two do me a favor?"

"Sure," Xion answered warmly.

Aqua knelt down and handed the thermos to a still drowsy Naminé and the small plate of food to Xion. "Will you two give Terra his breakfast? You don't have to talk to him. He is probably still asleep so just put it where he will see it when he wakes up."

"You do realize you'll have to talk to him eventually? You _did_ let him stay so you could…" Ventus timidly peeked out from under his man-made shield of blankets as he spoke.

Aqua glared at him causing him to hide under his blanket as the room grew cold again. "I'm aware of this, Ventus."

"If you are so against seeing him then why are we giving him breakfast?" Naminé asked softly as she finally crawled out of her bedroll and rose to her feet.

"I need him alive for questioning. He's worthless to me dead," Aqua groused and mercilessly sliced open another grapefruit.

* * *

Silently, Naminé and Xion descended the steps to where the former Dark Knight laid. He hadn't moved since the night before. He wasn't snoring but his strong, steady breathing filled the area.

For some reason, he reminded Naminé of a dragon, the really big ones from the fairy tales Aqua used to read to them when they were little, the dragons that slept in the keep and guarded the princesses from anyone who might try to save her. Except this dragon wasn't guarding anyone, not anymore. He was just sleeping in his empty castle, waiting for food or maybe he was waiting for the princess to come back… What became of the dragons that weren't slain by the prince that saved the princess? What would the dragon do once his purpose in life abandoned him?

Curious, she knelt down and inched toward the ex-knight so she could get a better look at him. His features were soft. They weren't like they had been the other times she had seen him at a distance. He wasn't ugly or even that menacing now that she got a good look at him. Terra was actually kind of handsome.

"Is he asleep?" Xion whispered as Naminé's blonde head tilted to inspect the former knight further.

_"Not anymore."_

Namine squealed and giggled like a child as she ran to hide behind her sister.

Terra's dark, royal blue eyes opened and lazily inspected the young women that woke him.

"Oh! Um…good morning," Xion greeted and smiled a little. "We brought you breakfast."

"Thanks," he yawned and sat up, removing the blanket from his form as he moved. "Courtesy of the same woman who gave me this blanket I presume?"

Xion nodded.

"She didn't poison it, did she?" Terra scoffed, carelessly folding the blanket and tossing it to the girls' feet so they could return it to its proper owner.

"I hope not. That means she has poisoned all of us. She made yours the same way she made ours." Xion's tone was almost playful as she handed the plate of food to Terra.

"It's safe," Naminé assured him and handed him the small thermos of water. "I watched her make it."

Terra nodded and plopped a piece of sliced grapefruit into his mouth.

"My name is, Naminé, by the way," she added delicately and placed a hand on her chest. "And this is my sister, Xion."

Naminé figured if he was going to be with them for a while she wanted to be on good terms with him. She wanted to at least _try_ to be nice. Something told her he wasn't all bad. He probably just needed a chance to show his good side. Aqua used to like him so he couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

"I would give you my name but I really don't think an introduction is necessary," replied Terra emotionlessly, his eyes not leaving his plate.

The small smile Naminé offered fell.

"Well, enjoy your breakfast," Xion said when she realized he wasn't in the mood to talk, not that she really wanted to talk to him anyway. "Come on, Naminé. We need to go eat our breakfast too." She protectively grabbed Naminé's arm and began tugging her up the stairs.

"It was nice meeting you two," Terra called but they honestly couldn't tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

* * *

They had descended the steps and entered his domain not too long ago. Each of them had taken a position on the stairwell away from him. Riku leaned against the nearest wall with his arms stubbornly folded over his chest, Ventus reclined lazily on a step a few steps down and away from Riku, Xion sat on a step and rested her back on the same wall beside Riku. Naminé stayed the farthest away. She had taken her place at the top of the stairs with her hands daintily resting in her white lap, but Aqua had purposely perched herself upon the stairwell's railing so her back would face him.

Terra assumed they were ready to talk to him now that they had finished breakfast. He rose to his feet, brushed the debris and dirt off his backside, and walked toward the stairwell.

"You wanted to talk," Riku began, "So talk."

_This wasn't really how I wanted to talk but whatever..._

Terra took a deep breath. Where should he even start? Probably with Kairi…

"Kairi is in Palamecia. I know because I was stationed in its prison before I deserted."

"Why did you leave?" Ventus inquired genuinely, his brow furrowed a bit. He wasn't interrogating. He actually seemed interested.

"I…I'd had enough. They were toying with me. They have been for years. I felt like I wasn't in control of my life anymore, so I left." It was a _very_ vague and shortened version of what actually happened but he didn't want to go into detail. It wasn't necessary.

"Someone once told me I was a tool and I finally learned that they were right," he added for Aqua and he watched to see if his reference to her had coaxed a reaction out of her. It didn't. She heard him and she caught the implications. She even fought the urge to perk up a bit but she still refused to regard him or his statements.

"I-I just didn't want to live like that anymore..." he continued awkwardly when they continued to look at him expectantly.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Ventus inquired. "How do we know that this isn't a big Dark Rule ploy to reel Aqua back in? You could be pretending to be a deserter so we'll trust you. Then you can have us gift-wrapped for them by the time you get us to Palamecia."

Terra chuckled and ran a hand down his face. "You make a good point. That definitely seems like something they would do but it doesn't really suit my style. Some of the other knights, sure, but not me. I'm not that manipulative or that sneaky. I couldn't pull off something that intricate. I was muscle, nothing more. Aqua knows that."

He purposely took another jab at her. If she weren't going to acknowledge him, he would keep acknowledging her until she had to.

"He's right," Aqua finally spoke. "I don't think they would use him for something like that even though it would make sense to. If he's a sleeper, he is an involuntary one."

"What do you mean involuntary?" Riku cast his cold gaze towards Aqua.

"I mean, he wouldn't be aware of it. He could be doing their handy work but he would be as much a victim as we are," she explained and Terra cringed because that was very possible.

"So it would be just as dangerous as taking in a sleeper?" Xion asked but it seemed more like a statement.

Aqua scoffed. "Pretty much."

"He's just as dangerous either way," Ven concurred. "No offense," he quickly added and looked at Terra sympathetically.

The ex-knight rolled his eyes. He was terrible at pleading his case.

"You're going to Palamecia regardless, right? You will go after Kairi with or without me, correct?" Terra inquired although he already knew the answer. It was more of a courtesy than anything.

"Yes," Aqua snorted and stared holes into the wall in front of her.

"Then they wouldn't need me to lure you into a trap because Kairi is the bait," Terra retorted smugly. "Why else do you think they've let you run around for the last few months? Because they know you are coming for Kairi and they don't want to waste the effort on tracking you down if you are just going to come to them in the end anyway."

Aqua tensed and squeezed her eyes shut. His words hit their mark and he was glad. She _finally_ reacted to something he said.

"We were never ahead, were we?" Naminé asked softly, watching Terra with timid, beseeching eyes.

"No. No one ever is," he replied bluntly.

"Then how the fuck did you get here? How the hell did you manage to desert if they know everything?" Riku challenged.

Terra shrugged. "I would like to know that myself. I just assumed it was because I was so indecisive and inactive for so long that I formed some kind of block or loop-hole."

"Mona told us that we should be indecisive. She said that it would make our actions harder to see, like we would create more options and somehow that would slow them down," Naminé said, somehow knowing he would know of the seeress.

"That's what I've always thought... Wait, you went to see Mona!?" Terra's eyes widened as they darted from one member of the small party to the other.

"Yes, but that isn't important. You're forgetting that we've tried being indecisive but it hasn't done us any good. They _still_ know what we were doing!" Aqua shouted and almost pulled her hair out by the root.

Terra snorted. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. I'm not a seer and _I_ could've told them what you were going to do. It was predictable. Everyone in Hollow Bastion knew you were hell-bent on saving your sister. So maybe the seers didn't have anything to do with predicting your course of action."

Aqua ignored that statement.

"How they know isn't important. What is, is that they _do_ know," Xion tried to break the tension Aqua and Terra were adding to the already tense atmosphere.

"I don't care if they know. It doesn't matter and doesn't change anything. I'm going anyway," Aqua countered. "It doesn't matter what I do they will _always_ be waiting for me somewhere, so I might as well go anyway. I already said I would save her or I would die trying. So if I'm meant to die while trying to save her in that prison, then so be it."

"Then we'll go with you," Ven said with a smile.

Terra burst into laughter. "Like hell you will! Just how do you _geniuses_ plan on getting there? Better yet, how do all _five_ of you plan on getting there?"

"That's where you come in, isn't it?" Aqua hissed and glared at him over her shoulder. "Mr. ' _I want to help'._ "

Every muscle in Terra's body tensed under her contemptuous glare. His mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed back at her as he desperately fought the urge to yell at her.

_Easy, Terra, easy,_ he tried to calm himself. Losing his temper wouldn't do any good.

"I can get there on my glider if the sandstorm isn't too strong, but I can only take one person with me. I can't seat more than two on my glider," Terra responded calmly.

"So, just teach us how to use Keyblade gliders," Ventus suggested and sat upright on the steps.

"I don't have that kind of time, nor am I a miracle worker," Terra replied and tried not to sneer or be too insulting.

"Couldn't you have taught Aqua how to use one during your year together?" Riku mused.

Aqua and Terra both tensed.

"I was going to but you assholes showed up and took her away before I had the chance," Terra shamelessly sneered and crossed his arms.

"Enough, enough!" Aqua trembled as she spoke. "No fighting. That isn't going to help anything."

"Look," Terra sighed, his tone loosing its hard edge and taking on a more sincere timbre, "Even if I _did_ teach you how to use Keyblade gliders, a party of five or six people is not going to bust into Palamecia Desert Prison. That just isn't going to happen. It's one of the highest security prisons in the Dark Realm. Intruders don't go in and they definitely don't come out. Getting one person in and out would be a miracle."

"In that case, do you think you could get _me_ in and out?" Aqua almost demanded without even looking at him.

"I don't know but I can try." Terra shrugged a shoulder.

"Then that's what we'll do." Aqua pried herself off the banister and retreated up the steps.

"Wait, what just happened?" Ventus recoiled and scurried after the young woman.

"I guess, Terra and I are going to Palamecia to get Kairi," Aqua replied dejectedly.

"You are just going to go with him?" Xion gaped and rose to her feet as well. "Just like that?"

"What choice do I have?" replied Aqua solemnly as she glanced back at Xion, a heartfelt look in her eyes.

"There has to be another way. I don't like the idea of you going out there by yourself, much less with him. I think we should try to explore our options more… We need to think all this through. We can't afford to be impulsive right now," Riku followed Aqua up the steps, trying to be the voice of reason.

"I hate to break it to you, but there _is_ no other way." Terra anxiously drummed his fingers on his arms.

"Light! Can we just not do this now?!" Aqua practically screamed and held her hands over her ears.

"This was a lot to take in and we have a lot to think about… I think we should go back to Oerba for a while, regroup and decide where we should go from there," Naminé chimed in gently, lacing her fingers in front of her middle.

"Agreed," Ventus concurred.

"What about Terra?" Naminé asked, looking back at him with concerned eyes. "Is he coming too?"

Aqua sighed heavily and resisted the urge to glare at the man in question. "I guess…"

* * *

The trip back to Oerba seemed to drag on forever, for Aqua at least. Much to her displeasure, throughout the trip the boys seemed to be… _bonding_. In fact, they _all_ seemed to be bonding. She wasn't surprised the boys putting aside their differences so quickly. Men just didn't hold grudges like women did. Give them a common topic, some common ground, or enough time together and they would become best friends. Unfortunately, Riku, Ven, and Terra were no different.

_The friendship between boys, it almost makes me jealous,_ she mused bitterly as they strolled through the vacant city.

Terra noticed that Aqua was still refusing to look at him and it was honestly starting to piss him off. She could at least acknowledge he existed, but now that he thought about it, she hadn't really acknowledged _anyone_ since they left the Barhiem Passage.

_Well, at least I'm not receiving special treatment,_ he thought.

The party reached a large crevasse that ran across one of the many crumbling roads of Oerba. Xion and Snow and Ventus jumped the chasm first, then Riku, then Terra. Once across, Terra looked back for Aqua but noticed Naminé's hesitation instead. He could tell she didn't want to jump it like the others had so he offered her his hand and a small smile.

He held his arm halfway across the chasm for her to help shorten the distance a bit and make the crevasse less intimidating.

Naminé winced before jumping and taking hold of Terra's sturdy arm. The ex-knight took hold of her and effortlessly hauled her to the other side of the crevasse causing Ventus and Riku to gape at the gesture while Xion watched wide-eyed. He wasn't sure what baffled them more, the fact that he had helped Naminé or the fact that he noticed she needed encouragement and assurance before they did.

"Thank you," the blonde chirped and briefly placed her hand on his cheek in appreciation, causing Terra's face to heat a bit. Naminé's demeanor and attitude towards him reminded him a bit of Kairi. Naminé was _much_ more afraid of him but she still had that certain innocence and ingenuous quality to her.

Naminé cautiously walked around him to rejoin the others. Terra looked back across the chasm and noticed Aqua had been waiting for Naminé to safely cross and was still waiting patiently on the other side. Courteously, Terra extended his arm for her as well, not because she needed it but because he wanted to be…nice. It was a form of peace offering.

Aqua huffed before flawlessly jumping across without accepting the offering. When she reached the other side, she shoved his extended arm away with the back of her forearm and coarsely pushed her way past him.

"You're welcome?" Terra's midnight blue eyes sluggishly following her as she walked away from him.

"I didn't say thank you," she countered coldly.

Riku whistled and his pale eyes widened at the icy remark.

"Ouch!" Ven reeled playfully.

"Shut up," Terra grumbled continued making his way down the ruined street.

When they reached the temporary dwellings in Oerba. Xion dismounted from Snow's back and tied him to a nearby support beam beneath the establishment. Aqua walked to her chocobo, patting his back and neck as she began removing the packs from his satchel. The instant Terra walked by, the chocobo screeched and lunged toward him.

Terra yelled, reeling so much that he almost fell onto his backside. Xion covered her face to hide her giggling and her smile while Aqua brazenly smirked.

"Damn bird," he huffed under his breath before following Riku up the steps and into the little safe house.

"Is there anything I can do to help out?" Terra asked when they entered the residence. "Like help unpack supplies or something?"

"Nah, I think it'll be better if you just stay out of the way," Riku replied with brutal yet sincere honesty as he threw his knapsack on one of the bunk beds.

"Works for me…I guess." Terra walked across the capacity and took a seat on the couch on the other side of the room.

He stayed like that until everyone entered the residence and unpacked everything for the night…or for however long they would be staying there. He listened to them talk amongst themselves and sometimes, they would even include him but Aqua remained harrowingly rigid and quiet.

After she unpacked the cooking supplies, Aqua began silently making supper with Xion in the tiny kitchen. Terra had his arms lazily folded over his chest while the others had awkward, sporadic conversations with him. He and Ventus seemed to be hitting it off and _Riku_ was even joking with him now. They were discussing Keyblade tactics and such. Naminé and Xion even giggled with them occasionally. Naminé had even started showing Terra her drawings and Aqua noticed he was even pretending to be interested.

Aqua's tenuous temper began flaring again. This was awkward and wrong and weird and absurd! She was furious although she wasn't entirely sure why she was so livid. She just was. She could feel his eyes on her as his painfully familiar voice boomed and reverberated off the walls. Her breathing quickened and became uneven. Her hands shook as she tried to fill a pot with water so she could boil some vegetables…or something She hadn't thought that far ahead. She was just trying to distract herself but she couldn't. Frustrated, she threw the pot into the sink and her hands forcefully fell to the counter.

"Aqua?" Ven called. Aqua was gripping the counter until her knuckles turned white. Her posture was stiff and her expression frigid.

"What?" she exhaled, wiping the water off her face and glaring at the silver pot in the sink.

"Are you okay?" he asked apprehensively.

She shook her head. She couldn't stand it anymore. His presence was too much. It was all too much. _Everything_ was suddenly too much. Without saying a word, Aqua turned on her heel and bolted out of the room.

Terra sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "It's my fault. I should probably go talk to her. She'll feel better after she yells at me… I guess, I'll go and let her get it out of her system."

* * *

Aqua ended up on the rooftop garden above the abandoned schoolhouse, hoping the strong, floral fragrance would calm her. The smell of flowers always held a form of nostalgia for her, especially tropical flowers. She couldn't remember the location of her old home or even its name but she assumed it would be some place like Oerba that could sustain flowers or maybe even tropical flowers because their aroma tickled at her memories so. She even thought that maybe her mother or grandmother smelled like tropical flowers. She wasn't sure what it was but something about the smell of the rooftop calmed her. The aroma was familiar so she sat by the stagnant fountain on the far side of the rooftop and closed her eyes.

However, she didn't dwell on the serenity or nostalgia for long before she heard someone ascending the stairs that led to the rooftop. The footsteps were heavy and clinked like armor. She had a pretty good idea of who had followed her out here.

Terra slowly walked out onto the roof of flowers and sunsets. The instant his feet met the rooftop, Aqua peered over her shoulder at him and he was suddenly _very_ glad that looks couldn't kill.

"Hi," he said apprehensively as he placed his hands in his pockets and approached her.

"How did you find me?" she snapped, turning her back to him and glaring at the still water of the dead fountain.

"I-I know you like to isolate yourself when you're flustered, preferably with flowers or by water…so…"

"You know me. I get it," she hissed and began ripping the petals off the innocent flower that sat nearest to her.

"I'm sorry…" the former Dark Knight apologized, not knowing what else do to.

"I know," she huffed and started throwing the dismembered petals into the water of the fountain. They both knew that remark had multiple meanings.

"Look, I know you're upset that I'm here and I know I'm the last person you want to see, much less travel with…but—"

"Why are you here, Terra?" Aqua turned abruptly and stopped throwing the petals into the water. He had said that he wanted to help her but he had yet to tell her _why_ he wanted to help her.

"I just…I just want to help." His gaze fell to the wooden flooring of the rooftop.

"I wanted your help _before_! I _needed_ your help _before_!" Aqua shouted, suddenly unable to hold it in anymore. "You knew how badly I wanted to find my sister! You knew better than anyone! How could you come here and use that as a bargaining chip!?"

"I-I…I'm not…I'm not…" Terra's voice was so soft and low she could barely hear him. He could barely hear himself.

"Then what are you doing?" She cocked her head in irritation, her lips melding against one another in a tight, indignant line.

"I just want to help," he repeated like a moron, his eyes once again leaving her to favor the floor instead.

Aqua scoffed and rolled her eyes. She stood and walked across the rooftop, ramming her shoulder into him as she ruthlessly forced him out of her way so she could descend back into the schoolhouse. Terra grunted and grimaced when her shoulder collided with his.

"Aqua, stop," he called and stumbled down the rotting steps after her. "Aqua, wait!"

"Why?" she called back as she continued held her heated pace. "So you can beg for forgiveness? So you can manipulate me into trusting you again? So you can ease your pathetic conscience? So you can convince me that you've changed and that I should thank you for coming here to help? So you can convince me that I need you? Guess what, Terra?" she paused only to give him a black look over her shoulder. "I don't care."

"Aqua, please, stop it…" Terra managed to gently take hold of her elbow as they stumbled up the steps of the temporary dwelling.

"No!" Aqua screamed so loud she was sure people in Nalbina could hear her and she knew everyone in the house could hear her but she just didn't care.

Spinning spun around, she wretched her arm from his meek grip long before he could get a good hold on her. "Don't you understand that I want _nothing_ to do with you? Do you know why I let you stay last night? Do you know why I let you follow us here like a stray? Because I need you to get to Kairi, after that, I don't care what happens to you. You can go find a hole to die in for all I care! So you can take that fake little apology of yours and this pathetic attempt at sincerity and bury it in that hole with you!"

Aqua was pretty sure that was the meanest thing she had ever said to anyone and she was sure she would regret it…later.

Breathing heavily, they stared each other down, Aqua's expression much harder and vexed than Terra's. Gradually, her expression began to soften as their eyes met. The contact was too much and she had to look away before she got sucked in again, before she started feeling sorry for him, before she believed him, before she did or said something she shouldn't. She turned around and barreled into the small house, causing the others to jump and become _very_ alert…

Sniffing and wiping tears that hadn't fallen, Aqua clumsily returned to the kitchen counter so she could attempt to make supper, again.

Unhurriedly, Terra took his place next to her and rested his hands on the counter's edge. Holding his head down and taking deep breaths, he tried to figure out what to say to her. "Are you incapable of forgiving me?

Silence.

"I think you owe me a little bit," he whispered and turned his head to look at her.

"For what?!" Aqua shouted and threw the pot into the sink again.

"We are just gonna…give you guys a minute," Ventus announced awkwardly as he and the others practically ducked out of the war zone.

"For saving you from the Court. For taking care of you. For being there for you even when I didn't have to be. For showing you kindness when I didn't have to," he whispered once the others were out of earshot.

Aqua sighed and desperately fought the tears. "And you know what, Terra? I adored you for that. You had…such…decorum and decency in those moments that you made me question everything I ever stood for and everything I ever wanted out of life. You made me wonder if I really wanted to leave Hollow Bastion because a part of me wanted to stay with you…"

"You had a funny way of showing it," Terra growled, his eyes cutting away from her.

"Terra, I begged you to come with me. I _pleaded_ with you to leave with me!" The pent-up tears began to stream down her face.

"You said _'us'._ You said, 'come with _us_.' You didn't ask me to come with _you_."

Aqua paced around the kitchen, slamming cabinets and slinging kitchen utensils as she looked for the loaf of bread she had put away earlier. "What difference does it make!?"

"To me, it made a _huge_ difference!" Terra roared.

" _Light!_ Why can't I ever find any in this stupid kitchen?!" she screamed and slammed the latest cabinet shut, sniffling and wiping her tears.

Terra sighed and opened the cabinet over his head. He pulled the loaf of bread out of the breadbox inside and handed it to Aqua without a word. Instantly, she snatched it from his hands.

"I'm sorry, Aqua... I'm sorry... I want to help. I don't know how else to explain that to you…"

"How about how you show it?" Her voice was soft now and her eyes were gentle and timid.

"You won't let me show it!" Terra countered in complete vexation. "You never let me show it! All you ever did, all you've ever done was freeze me out or pull away!"

"Oh! I ask you to leave Hollow Bastion with me and _I_ was pulling away?" Aqua spat, digging her fingers into her chest to emphasize her point. "So I was freezing you out that day in the Outer Gardens?"

"Look. I just need you to listen to me and believe me when I tell you that I'm sorry. I understand why you're angry and you have every right to be but—"

"But nothing! Terra, I was not pulling away when I asked you to come with me. I was holding for dear life but I needed you to need me back! Why didn't you come with me when I asked you to? Why did you turn on me and why did you refuse to let me all the way in?" She was sobbing and lightly hitting his chest as she completely lost control of her words and her emotions.

Terra didn't answer as she softly rested her fists on his chest and cried. He didn't know how to explain himself. Even if he did, the answer wouldn't be good enough. How could he tell her that he was too loyal to leave? Too confused? Too stupid? Too naïve? Too frustrated with her? That he had felt like she was incapable of actually wanting him to come with her? That she pulled away from him for so long that he didn't know how to respond to her when she actually wanted to let him in? When she really needed him? When she finally asked him to let her in too?

They had been here before. She was softly hitting his chest and he was taking it because he deserved it. She was crying and he was watching with emotionless features, fighting the need to hold her to him. He didn't realize how badly he had hurt her by not going with her. He didn't think it would matter. She hated him, right? Why would it matter?

He wanted to hold her. The need and the urge to do so was definitely there, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't think he could bear to hear her scream at him anymore. He didn't think he could handle her shrieking for him to not touch her just like he knew she would if she felt his familiar, traitorous arms wrap around her.

Unsure of what to do, Terra just watched her intently, the angel that flew too close to the ground; the angel he yanked out of the sky and pulled down into hell with him. Stubbornly and selfishly, keeping her and her radiance to himself, trying his best to clip her wings so she wouldn't fly away from him and go back to where she belonged, back to where he couldn't find her, back to where he could no longer reach her, back to heaven where no demon could ever tread. Mercilessly ripping her pure, pearly feathers from her wings. Slowly and meticulously removing more and more of them each night so eventually she wouldn't be able to use them at all.

He didn't pull enough feathers…

Ashamed, Aqua hid her distraught features from him in her hands instead of succumbing to old habits and burying them in his chest. Her sobs grew lower and she was gradually regaining control of herself, her anger melting away. Timidly, her eyes rose to regard him and she could tell that he was letting her vent. She could see his sincerity and it stung because it was genuine and it was for her…just like it always was…

"Aqua… I—" Terra hesitantly reached out for her, his hand hovering between them but he quickly retracted.

"Don't," she interrupted and wiped the persistent tears that were still managing to escape from her eyes despite her resistance. "I think we've said enough."

Aqua knew a lot more needed to be said but she didn't think she had it in her to fight with him anymore.

"Is it safe?" Ventus' head timidly peeked around the doorway. He had picked up a white towel off the floor and was waving it around like a flag as a sign of playful surrender. They others could be heard laughing in the distance and it was funny but Terra and Aqua were in a different place and couldn't bring themselves to find humor in anything.

Aqua tensed but Terra held his indifferent, unreadable posture. He watched vacantly as she desperately tried to hide the fact she was crying or had been crying. Silently, he offered her a napkin from the counter but she refused it.

"Yeah, it's safe," she announced and forced herself to laugh at Ven's joke once she felt her voice would not betray her.

Terra walked back to his place on the couch and slouched against its flaccid cushions so he could brood while Aqua kept her back to her friends so they wouldn't see her puffy eyes as she began preparing their meal for the umpteenth time.

No one asked about the fight. It was almost as if it never happened. Terra wasn't sure if they were afraid to ask or if they knew not to. Maybe they didn't ask because they had heard the whole thing. Whatever the reason, he was grateful. He was glad Aqua's little family understood it was a necessary evil and knew not to pry…unlike his.

Eventually, Aqua finished dinner and handed everyone his or her plates. The fact that she threw Terra's a bit more haphazardly than the others was not lost on him. However, she was in a better mood now that they had been able to verbally duke it out, which wasn't surprising. It had been a while since he'd seen her but he still knew her. He knew she was always better after she let her frustrations out in some way and he knew this time would be no different.

"I've thought about it…and I think Terra and I should go to Palamecia," Aqua stated calmly, attempting to put an end to the relentless planning and plotting that began after everyone finished eating.

The steady hum of schemes, procedures, and strategies that resonated around the table came to an abrupt halt.

"Alone?" Naminé questioned innocently.

"Yes." Aqua nodded. She didn't waver.

"I'll support whatever you think is right," Ventus relented, albeit begrudgingly.

"If you go with him, I want a timeframe so we'll know if something goes wrong," Riku declared as he rubbed his temples. He clearly wasn't thrilled about Aqua's decision. "I want to know roughly how long it will take so we'll know when and if we need to initiate damage control."

Ven nodded, silently voicing his agreement.

"Terra?" Aqua queried and glanced across the table at him.

Terra sighed and massaged his forehead with his fingers. "Uh…I would say two, three, maybe four days."

"It would take that long?" Xion squeaked.

"We will have to stop. Desert travel is no joke. It's exhausting and we should probably travel at night. I have some friends in Kaipo that would let us stay with them. So if, for example, we left tomorrow evening, we could travel all night, sleep when we reach Kaipo, then bust into the prison the next evening after we have regrouped and regained our strength. But that's just a best-case scenario. It could take a lot longer than that. I'm not counting for how long it will take to get in and out of the prison nor am I taking the journey back with a third person into account."

"I thought you said you could only carry two people on your glider?" Ventus asked, his blonde brow wrinkling with confusion.

"Exactly." Terra smirked.

"Then how are we going to get Kairi out?" Aqua implored, her voice a bit frantic.

"She's small. I can probably manage it if I go slower. Again, we don't have that many options." The ex-knight shrugged.

Riku sighed. "I'm still not sure how I feel about all this…"

"And you think I am?" Aqua chuckled nervously. "It's all really sudden and stressful but I need a way to get to Kairi and this is it. It's the only option I have and it is probably the only one I'm going to get…and I think I should take it even if Terra is the one offering it to me…"

Terra loved how they talked about him like he wasn't there.

"Fine. But if you hurt her or let anything happen to her…" Riku pointed a stern finger at Terra.

Terra rolled his eyes. "You can have my ass. I get it."

* * *

"Terra," Aqua whispered and walked to couch he slept on with her arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. "Are you asleep?"

"No," he responded and sat up to observe her. She was in her pajamas and she looked…tempting. Her black shorts looked like they were five sizes too small while her indigo tank top barely covered her stomach and its thin straps kept falling off her shoulders.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

"Would you be okay with leaving tomorrow night?" she spoke professionally and rigidly. She rubbed her chilled shoulders to ward off the slight chill lingering in the air and he wanted to offer her warmth. He actually wanted to cause friction between their lower bodies until both of them felt like they were going to catch on fire but he had a feeling she wouldn't go for that.

"Yeah. I'm at your disposal." He shrugged and she took a seat next to him. She was playing with fire by sitting so close to him.

"You want to stop in…Kaipo?" Aqua tried to pull her straps back onto her shoulders but it wasn't doing anything for the lust that brewed inside him.

"I think it would be best if we stopped there before barging in. It will shorten the trip across the desert and it'll give us a chance to rest. We can't travel during the day anyway. I also think we should break into the prison at night. It's a lot less active at night. Plus there are more shadows to hide in." He spoke from experience.

Aqua really didn't like how easy it was to talk to him, but she shouldn't be surprised. He had always been easy to talk to. Sitting here with him now, it felt like they hadn't been apart at all but it also somehow felt like they were complete strangers.

"Aqua… you don't have to go with me if you don't want to. If you aren't ready to run off with me…if you want to take a minute…" Terra rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I want to take longer than a minute, but I don't have a minute. I don't even have a second." She laughed coldly and shook her head. "I don't want to go with you… I don't want to talk to you… I don't want to look at you…but Kairi needs me and I need you to get to her."

"I said I was sorry." Terra sighed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"I know," she whispered and looked away.

"But you won't forgive me," he responded for her and stared blankly at the floor.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it…when I said I didn't care about what happens to you after you help me save Kairi... I didn't mean it. I do care about what happens to you," the Keyblade wielder reluctantly admitted.

"Thank you," he hummed and gazed back at her.

"I always cared…even when I didn't want to and I guess I still do." Aqua shifted uncomfortably and rose to her feet.

Instantly, Terra grabbed her exposed wrist tried to pull her back to him. "Aqua…"

"Don't." She winced at the feel of his touch. "Just…don't…" she begged although she wasn't sure what she was begging him not to do. Stir up old emotions maybe?

_Too late…_

He could feel the scar tissue against his palm and fingers. The skin of her wrist was rougher than the rest of her porcelain skin, much rougher. Instinctively, his thumb caressed the mangled flesh as his hand affectionately tightened around her wrist.

Aqua froze, her body facing away from him but her wrist staying with him.

"If you don't change your mind," he whispered and she could feel his voice rumbling against her joint, "we can leave for Kaipo at sunset. If we're lucky and if the storm isn't too bad, we can get there before sunrise."

Aqua would be lying to herself if she said she a part of her wasn't glad he was there. Not too long ago, this was what she wanted. She had wanted him to join her and her friends, leave the Dark Rule, and help her save Kairi. She had just wanted him to do so when she asked him to a few months back… She didn't want him to turn on her and try to take her back to the Dark Overlords, or to threaten her in Deling City when they ran into each other again… She hated him for those things. She hated him for being so selfish and wanting to keep her locked up for himself and for being so loyal to the Dark Rule that he ultimately chose them over her.

He truly was a paradox. He constantly tried to worm his way into her heart but the instant she tested her place in his, he faltered and showed that he didn't trust her either. He loved her, yes, but he didn't really trust her enough to leave with her or to believe that she actually cared about him enough that she didn't want to leave him in a place where she didn't think he belonged. His loyalty to the Dark Rule was stronger than his love for her and for some reason that hurt. It hurt a lot.

For some reason, Aqua was suddenly recalling what Mona had told. She was suddenly thinking about how Mona had said that she loved Luxord but the relationship was not meant to be. Aqua began to wonder if those kinds of relationships could work at all. Could they survive? Could they coexist? Obviously not. She didn't trust Terra anymore than he trusted her. She couldn't let go of her bitterness and he couldn't let go of his suspicion and neither of them could let go of their distrust.

"I won't change my mind," she finally replied. "I would go with Darkness itself if it meant getting Kairi back."

Terra nodded. He wasn't surprised by her answer.

"I assume that you have a plan for getting us in and out of there?" she added.

Terra looked up at her, still holding onto her wrist. "I have a vague idea. I wouldn't call it a plan because you can't really plan out things like this, but I do know how we will get in and I know where your sister is being held, so I don't think we need much more than that."

"The seers would see it anyway. They probably already have, so playing it by ear doesn't seem like a bad idea. It actually seems like a pretty good idea…"

"Being impulsive hasn't failed me yet." Terra smirked and finally yet unwillingly let go of her wrist. "If I don't know what I'm going to do, maybe they won't either. So even if they do know we're coming, maybe we can still surprise them with what we do once we get there."

Aqua was constantly being reminded of why she had wanted his help so badly in the first place. No one knew the Dark Rule or the Seer Sages better than Terra and it was a _huge_ advantage. Not to mention he had a sick way of calming her down, of making her feel safe.

"We should get some rest. We can talk more in the morning." With that, Aqua turned and slowly walked back to the bedroom but she hesitated before she reached its doorway.

"Goodnight, Terra," she breathed over her shoulder solemnly, almost shyly, her gentle voice making his heart sink.

"Goodnight…"

He had to fight the urge to bring her back to the couch with him or follow her to her bed. It felt weird not sharing a bed with her. He couldn't help feeling like that was what they were _supposed_ to do. They had done it for so long that he hardly knew anything else. If she was around at night, she was either supposed to be on his chest or in his arms. But that was what they were like before and they weren't like that now. They were different people now.

* * *

Larxene gasped for air as her eyes regained focus and the vision's haze slowly left her senses. Her emerald eyes adjusted to reality and the blackness of the room around her.

As a seeress, she never took her sight for granted because it was something she could eventually lose, but Light-damn did she loath the sight of the room she stole DiZ. If _his_ room was this disgusting, she didn't want to know what everyone else had to deal with. Everything in this stupid stronghold was dull, monochrome, boring, and lifeless. There wasn't nearly enough color or extravagance for her taste. She supposed the headquarters was nice enough and it did have a lot of the same lavish features as Tarnen Palace but she still loathed the atmosphere. She made a mental note to force DiZ to remodel this place or at least his room. However, the detest of her new living quarters would have to wait, she had bigger fish to fry.

Unhurriedly, the seeress left the comforts of her new, pale bed and journeyed down the sleek, chrome hallways of DiZ's sleeping stronghold. She walked to his office but did not knock. She didn't have to. She opened the door and she saw what she knew she would see, what she had already seen, DiZ sitting at his desk doing paperwork.

The ruler launched to his feet, ready to pounce her or ready to demand his guards to, but before he could act, he staggered and held his head in his hands.

"Down!" Larxene pointed to his large, white, angular chair as if she were commanding a dog to sit.

Like a helpless, obedient hound, DiZ obeyed. His tawny eyes went distant and his mouth fell in a lifeless line. It was as if his will and his soul had left his body, because it basically had but he still seemed a bit too aware for her liking. She would have to shorten the leash.

Larxene would never understand why he continued to act surprised to see her. He knew she was there. She made sure to leave that tidbit of information in his head. He knew she was his honored guest and dwelled within his stronghold. She could be merciful. She gave him _some_ awareness. She took a lot out of him when she was controlling him but she let him remember everything that occurred when she _wasn't_ in his head. Granted, there was rarely a moment when she wasn't playing with what was inside his cranium but she still saw this as a kindness.

"There. Isn't life easier when we cooperate?" Larxene purred and she strolled around his desk, racking her nails along its glossy surface as she encircled him.

"Yes, my Lady," DiZ replied, deadpan.

"Now that we are on the same page-" she began massaging his shoulders "-I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," he relented easily.

Larxene smiled and played with the dark bandages that were wrapped around his face to hide his features. "I have a urgent message for the Overlords. You are going to write the letter for me and then you are going to send it with your fastest messenger to Hollow Bastion tonight."

"Yes, Larxene," DiZ answered flatly, his body and brain betraying him and he took the pen in his hand. "What's the message?"

"Terra is alive and that he is with Aqua. They are coming for Kairi in a few days, but they are going to stay in Kaipo with Sage Tellah first."


	34. Strangeness and Charm

* * *

_There's a hole in the trust that we mapped out_

_In my bed for six long months_

_For six long months_

_-Everything I Once Had, The Honorary Title_

* * *

The soft, melodic chirping of birds and the rays of the morning sun filled the tiny apartment in Oerba. The sounds of morning were occupying the space but Aqua couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. She wasn't really a morning person. She was when she had to be but she would rather stay in bed all morning. She didn't really feel awake until after noon anyway. Lately, because of their new nomadic lifestyle, she was forced to be a morning person. She always had to get up early, make breakfast, and prepare to get moving again.

The Keyblade wielder envied Ventus and Naminé's ability to rise with the sun. They could get up and not miss a beat. There was no delay with those two. Aqua could act like a morning person all day long but she would still be slow and drowsy for a while. Xion and Riku were worse than she was though. They would get up but they wouldn't like it, so morning duties usually went to Naminé, Ven and even sometimes Aqua instead because she would suck it up and get up anyway.

However, that was not the case that morning. The seemingly endless fight with Terra the day before had drained Aqua completely. Her eyes were sore and weary from all the crying and her throat raw from yelling. Hopefully, this would be the last time she felt like this for a while. Now that she threw her tantrum and told Terra how angry and hurt she was by his actions, she felt that they had established some form of treaty or truce. She didn't know how he felt, but she felt better after she spoke her mind and screamed at him for being a cruel, indecisive jerk.

The sound of light scribbling in the distance and the thudding of footsteps nearby let Aqua know that Ven and Naminé were awake. Meanwhile, the steady breathing in the bunk above her let her know Riku was still asleep. Aqua rolled over to peer at the set of bunk beds across from her and she saw that Xion was still asleep too, her small black head barely peaking out over the covers while the rest of her was securely buried beneath the blankets.

Lazily, Aqua smiled at the sight before yawning and stretching her arms up over her head. She reached under her pillow and pulled her Wayfinder out from under it. She always slept with it either under her pillow or in her hand. It was an insignificant ritual she stubbornly kept alive for herself, her friends, her family, for those that were absent in her life, and maybe even for Terra. For whatever reason, she just liked having it close to her, always, even when she slept.

Closing her eyes again, she held the charm to her chest, over her heart.

She needed to get up. She knew that. She had responsibilities and duties to attend to before she ran off with Terra later that night. The thought of the former knight made her wonder if he was awake. He always woke before she did whenever they shared a bed together. She didn't hear him but that didn't mean he wasn't awake.

Quietly and reluctantly, Aqua forced herself to put her Wayfinder away and get out of her tiny bunk bed. Her drowsy state easily convinced her to stay in her pajamas. She would put on all her garb later. After all, she wasn't going to do anything that required her to be fully dressed anyway. She was simply getting up to make breakfast for everyone and she was considering going back to bed once she completed that task so she found dressing to be pointless.

Yawning, Aqua entered the main area of the apartment to see Naminé quietly sketching in the floor and Ven lying on his back next to her staring at the ceiling and swinging his Keyblade around at invisible opponents in the air. Her eyes then wandered to the couch to see her former guardian just the way she had left him, on the couch asleep. Terra's broad back was facing her as he buried his face in the cushions of the couch. She assumed he was hiding from the sun and maybe even them.

Ven and Naminé waved at her silently, being courteous of their new guest and she followed suit. The day before, she wouldn't have cared if she woke him or not but currently, she was feeling gracious and surprisingly merciful.

"I would kill for some pancakes," she whispered as she dug through their simple rations and messy cabinets.

"Or some eggs or biscuits or sausage or bacon… Mmm," Ven mused, licking his lips.

Aqua sighed at the memory of having _real_ meals. She hadn't had a substantial meal since they left Dali, but she couldn't complain. No, they didn't have real, hearty food but they weren't starving. Unfortunately, Aqua knew that things could be _a lot_ worse. Although it had been years, she could still remember almost starving to death after the Purge that killed her biological family but before Master Eraqus took her and Kairi in. The fierce, gnawing pain of starvation was a pain you could not easily forget.

Pushing the painful memories aside, Aqua continued searching for something to make their little group for breakfast. Eventually, she managed to put together a form of strawberry, blueberry, banana, and oatmeal parfait but without ice cream or whipped cream. It wasn't much and _hardly_ qualified as a parfait but she was doing the best she could with what she had.

While she made breakfast Riku and Xion had managed to get out of bed and Xion had even begun helping her put everything together. Everyone was up except for Terra.

"Terra," Aqua called gently over her shoulder, "Get up. We're about to eat breakfast."

_Payback for all the times you woke me up and drug me off to the Overlords,_ she mused.

Naminé and Ventus began placing the prepared plates on the tables and Riku poured water into glasses for everyone while Aqua and Xion finished putting the last of the food together.

Chatter and the clinking of plates and glasses were violating Terra's ears, but he was choosing to ignore them. He was going to have to stay up all night driving his Keyblade glider through the desert so he felt he had the right to sleep all day.

"Terra, get up."

But Aqua clearly didn't think he had earned that right. That was either the second, third or maybe even fourth time she had demanded he get up and eat breakfast with everyone else.

"Terra," Aqua huffed and tossed another plate onto the table. "You can go back to sleep after we eat. Come on. Get up."

She sounded like his mother. Not that Terra knew what a mother was really _supposed_ to sound like. The closest thing he had to a mother was Mona and he didn't have her for that long.

Aqua growled and stormed toward him. Placing one knee on the couch, she leaned against him and shook his shoulders.

"Terra!"

"Aqua, stop," he grumbled in protest and his shoulders tensed underneath her hands. He decided he didn't care for role reversal.

"No, get up!" She pulled at his arm and shoulder and finally, he relented.

"Fine. Fine. I'm up. I'm up." Begrudgingly, he sat up and shook his dark hair. "But as soon as _Family Breakfast Hour_ is done, I'm going back to sleep. I won't be able to stay up tonight if I don't and you might want to consider doing the same."

"Eat," Aqua snapped and shoved his plate at him.

Terra couldn't help but notice she was still wearing those Light-damn pajamas. She was trying to drive him crazy he just knew it.

_Seductress…_

As he stared at her, probably a bit too long and a bit too brazenly, he noticed she had regained her athletic figure, the figure of a Keyblade wielder. The figure she had when he first laid eyes on her, not the figure her time in Hollow Bastion had given her. He preferred her like this. It was what she was supposed to look like, feminine and curvy but strong and slender.

Once he regained his senses, he shifted upright, moved away from the others, and ate in contemplative silence like the outcast he was.

"So you two are leaving tonight?" Ven asked past a mouth full of strawberries.

Aqua nodded. "Mm-hmm, we're going to leave at sunset and try to get to Kaipo by tomorrow morning. Then we'll rest there until nightfall then go to the prison. Terra said it would be best if we infiltrated at night."

"So you're going to be nocturnal for a while?" Xion inquired and wiped her mouth.

"It's looking that way."

"Then I have to agree with Terra." Xion replied. "You should probably try to sleep more today so you can function at night."

While the others continued to ramble amongst themselves, Terra had become immersed in watching Naminé switch between drawing and eating. The way the blonde girl scribbled and intently drew on her sketchpad was eerily familiar.

When Naminé noticed him staring at her she looked up at him and the corners of her mouth curved nervously.

Terra gave a halfhearted mouth twitch in return.

Once Aqua finished eating, she returned to the counter and began cleaning and washing dishes. The instant Terra saw her get up, he rushed after her and took his plate to her so he would have the chance to speak to her somewhat privately.

"You _are_ aware Naminé is a seeress," Terra said bluntly yet quietly as he handed his plate to Aqua.

Her eyes almost popped out of her head before they darted back and forth between him and the blonde girl. She was _really_ hoping he wouldn't notice what she had noticed…

"How can you say something like that?" Aqua whispered under her breath so no one would hear them. "Naminé is _nothing_ like the seers!"

"Think what you want but I know a seeress when I see one and all the signs are there. Her drawings aren't just drawings, they are her own unique way of channeling visions," Terra replied, keeping his hushed tone as his eyes wandered to Naminé who was still sketching happily.

Aqua sighed and looked up at him despondently.

"Surely you have noticed this. You saw the way Zexion basically did the same thing."

"I did… I just… I didn't want to admit it. I kept telling myself that there had to be another explanation… I refused to think that she was like them."

"She isn't. She is the same exact person she was five seconds ago. She's a seeress, not a Seer Sage. There's a big difference but I wasn't telling you this to upset you, I was telling you so you would know what an amazing asset it is."

"How—" Aqua paused and looked back at her friends before she roughly drug Terra into the tiny room of bunk beds by his wrist. "How is this an _amazing asset_? Terra, she can't control what she does. I think I've seen her channel a vision before and she doesn't even remember doing it. A while back, I watched her draw a picture of you in the desert and she had no recollection of it. It was like she was possessed."

"What did the picture look like?" Terra's brow knitted.

"What does it matter?" Aqua looked at him skeptically.

"Because I need to know if it has already happened or if it is going to," he replied tersely and placed a hand on his hip.

She sighed and lowered her eyes. "It was a picture of you surrounded by or lying in what looked like sand. I assumed it was a desert and…and you were holding the Wayfinder I left for you."

Mentioning his Wayfinder made her wonder if he still had it. Probably not.

"That already happened. That was when I deserted. I passed out in the desert before I could reach civilization. Anyway, maybe…maybe her seeing that kept the Seer Sages from seeing it. Maybe that was how I was able to leave and avoid them." Terra paced nervously back and forth and held his chin in one of his hands.

"Fuck! I wish I knew more about these damn seers!" he roared when his ramblings took him nowhere.

"Me too but we don't. It's just one big guessing game and I know that seers are probably the reason the Opposition is able to stay hidden and fight the Dark Rule but Naminé can't help us…"

"She could if she knew how to control it," Terra countered.

"So she can end up like Larxene?" Aqua couldn't help but notice Terra was still a touch power mad. It was just in his nature.

"No, Aqua, that's not what I meant. I was just saying that if she understood it and if she was aware of her abilities, she might be able to help us."

"None of us can help her understand it because we don't understand it _ourselves_. I told her to let me know if she drew any other pictures she didn't remember drawing. That's all I know to do and that's all I can do for her," she replied.

"Aqua," Naminé's soft voice filled the air around them. "What're you two talking about?"

Aqua's skin crawled although the voice belonged to Naminé. The way she somehow knew they were talking about her was still unnerving and it further confirmed their speculation. It seemed all seers had that bizarre sixth sense and third eye without even trying. They just… _knew_ things.

_Light, help us. She is a seer…_

"No time like the present," Terra mused and Aqua glared at him.

"We were just…" Aqua paused and her glare turned into a look of concern as her eyes left Terra and went to Naminé. "We were talking about your drawings." Aqua relented. She didn't want to lie. She hated lying.

"The ones I don't remember?"

"Yes," Aqua said quietly. "Come on. We should talk about this with the others."

Aqua took hold of Naminé's hand and gently pulled her back into the living quarters.

"What's going on?" Ven asked, sensing the tension and unease.

"Terra and I think Naminé is a seeress." Aqua held her head down and rubbed her shoulders nervously as she took a brutally candid approach. "The way she draws sometimes… You all know she draws things and she doesn't remember drawing them. You have seen her lose herself…. Terra was raised with the Seer Sages and I have seen them too. There are unmistakable similarities..."

Silence engulfed them and all they could do was stare.

"We've always known she was special, even Master Eraqus, but we could never quite figure out what it was. Well, I think this is what we were seeing…" Aqua continued although she hadn't really gotten a response out of anyone.

"Are you sure?" Ven asked softly and politely, but his eyes were distant and detached.

"I'm pretty sure."

"Are you?" the blonde Keyblade wielder turned his attention to the ex-knight.

"Positive," Terra replied without hesitation.

Ventus nodded with a heavy exhale. "I figured it was _something_ like that, but… it was just always too scary to think about, so I _didn't_ think about it."

"You don't look surprised, Naminé," Riku said warmly as he observed her.

"Neither do you." Naminé offered a small, knowing smile.

The corner of Riku's mouth turned up. "Let's just say I've been noticing some… _suspicious_ things for a while now."

"I think I knew when Namine drew that morbid picture of Aqua when she was still in Hollow Bastion, but I just never knew what to call it…" Xion added, trying her best not to sound nervous.

"Just remember, just because she is a seeress, it doesn't mean that she's a _Seer Sage_. There's a big difference. The Dark Rule makes Seer Sages, but Naminé was _born_ a seeress," Terra said, trying to ease their minds and remove the concerned expressions from Xion and Ventus' faces. He could tell they were a bit unsettled by the clarification of Naminé's _abilities._ They weren't sure what to make of it. Was it a good or bad thing? How should they react and what should they do?

"Mona used to tell me that seers obtained their gifts from either Light or Darkness, and that they were meant to be used to help people or bring balance to the world…or something corny like that. But like everything else, people began to abuse the supposedly _divine_ gift. Seers began pushing themselves to take more than they were given, straining themselves so they could see more than what they received naturally. Defying fate, Light, Darkness, whoever, so they could pull potential futures from the time ahead on their own whenever or however they wanted to. The Dark Rule took it even farther by making unnatural seers, like Mona. My point is, Naminé is a natural seer and her abilities are pure and they will be as long as she doesn't abuse them."

Terra's musings were met by more silence but this time Ventus was nodding his understanding and Xion, Naminé, and Riku looked interested and contemplative.

"Not that it is any of my business but I would recommend taking her back to Mona at some point. It'll help everyone if she understands and learns to control what she's doing. It would be even better if she could learn to translate it. Mona isn't a natural seer but she knows how they work and she could help," he continued.

"Maybe that's what we should do while Aqua and Terra are gone?" Naminé inquired, sounding almost eager. "I mean…it would be more productive than us sitting around here waiting for them to come back, right?"

"It's up to you, Naminé," Ven insisted and ran a hand down his face. He clearly wasn't sure what to make of all this but he was going with what his sister wanted. "They are your powers and if you want to see Mona and ask for her help then...I'll take you to her."

"I'll take her," Riku declared. "I 'm more familiar with the area. You and Xion should stay here in case Aqua and Terra come back or in case something goes wrong. I think we should split up. That may even throw the Seer Sages off our trail if we make more paths for them to have to follow."

"Is this what you want, Naminé?" Aqua asked and placed a gentle hand on Naminé's shoulder. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. We can pretend this never happened…"

"No." Naminé shook her head, "I want to. If what Terra said is true, then I have these powers for a reason and they are getting stronger. I'm drawing more pictures that I don't remember drawing… I don't know what they mean…and it scares me. I think if I can learn to control it or at least understand it, it won't frighten me as much. And more than anything, I want to help. If my powers can keep the Seer Sages away, then I want to be able to use them to protect us, all of us. I want to do everything I can."

"That's very noble of you, Naminé," Terra said, sounding wholeheartedly sincere. "I can promise you that if you learn to understand your abilities, they will be a huge help.

Naminé smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Are you almost ready to go?" Terra asked as he walked into the small apartment, wrapping his black cowl around his neck.

"Yeah," Aqua replied softly and finished making her bed. "Let me say goodbye and I'll meet you outside."

Nodding, the ex-knight turned on his heal, made his way through the living room, and began journeying down the stairs.

_"Hey, Terra!"_

Terra froze halfway down the stairwell, glanced over his shoulder, and saw Ven chasing after him.

"Take care of her," he demanded sincerely but sternly.

"I will. I promise," Terra answered before turning his back to him and continuing his trek down the stairs.

"Okay. I guess this is it," Aqua said as she entered the living room.

"Be careful," Xion said as she hugged her.

"Naminé and I are probably leaving for ZoZo in the morning so we should be back before you are," Riku stated.

Aqua nodded and proceeded to embrace Naminé and Ven. "If we aren't back in a week—"

"Yeah. We know," Ven interrupted as he patted her shoulders.

The Keyblade wielder smiled at all of them one more time and exited the apartment before anyone could dwell on that grave thought anymore, the thought of what would happen if she failed… Plus she didn't want to actually _say_ 'goodbye'. It seemed too permanent. She wanted this to be a _'see you later'_ situation not _an 'I'll probably won't ever see you again'_ situation, so she left as if she were going to return shortly instead of not at all…

She left the small home and made her way down the steps. Once she reached the bottom, she found Terra and Snow having an intense staring contest.

"Why does it hate me so much?" he asked, continuing to glare at the snowy bird.

"Snow is big on first impressions and he tends to hold a grudge." Aqua ruffled a few of Snow's feathers along his lengthy neck.

_So he's like you?_ Terra practically bit his tongue in two to keep the thought from escaping his lips.

Shrugging, he decided he would stop trying to coax an unobtainable truce between himself and the chocobo.

"Here." He carelessly tossed a cowl identical to his to Aqua.

The aroma of wet clay and cinnamon hit Aqua as she caught the cowl in her arms. It smelled like him, like his pillow used to smell. She forgot how sinfully _good_ that man smelled…

"What is this?"

"Something that'll give you stealth and protection. Trust me, you'll need it on the glider and in the prison," Terra answered and summoned his Keyblade glider.

She didn't question him. She knew that he probably knew what he was talking about so she began putting the cowl on. She pulled the cape over her bare shoulders and hid her mouth and nose with the cowl's ebony fabric, but she didn't pull the hood over her head.

While the young woman fixed her cowl, Terra slung one of his thick legs over the glider, mounted it, and shifted further up the seat so she would be able to get on as well. He didn't command her to get on like he did the last time they mounted his glider in Amur. His body language would be enough and he figured she would rather not be reminded of the time he forced her to get on his glider so he could haul her to Hollow Bastion against her will.

As expected, Aqua got the unspoken message, threw her leg over the glider, and took a seat on the back of it. Once he felt her settle behind him, he sat down as well.

"Ready?" Terra subtly peered back over his shoulder at her.

"I think so."

He started the glider and forced the vehicle to go vertical, causing Aqua to flinch at the sudden movement and instinctively grabbed fistfuls of the clothing that covered his shoulders.

Just like the first time, Terra almost laughed when she took hold of his clothes instead of him. One year later and she _still_ refused to wrap her arms around him.

* * *

The Palamecian Desert was dark, still, and quiet. Smoky clouds marred the dark blue sky and hid the moon and its luminous glow. The rippling sand appeared to flow and surge like a bottomless gray sea underneath the glider.

The sandy sea's movements had hypnotized Aqua and it was making her sleepy. She had napped sporadically throughout the day but she didn't really sleep like she needed to or the way Terra instructed her to, and she was starting to feel weary.

Although they were creeping into the outer edges of the desert, the night air was still shockingly cool and it made Terra's body heat _very_ inviting. It wasn't long before she couldn't help herself. She leaned into his back and let the warmth radiate off him and seep into her. Her body absorbed it like a sponge as she fused to his back. Aqua's face pressed between his shoulder blades and she could hear his strong heartbeat over the whizzing of the Keyblade glider beneath her. His back subtly rose and fell and her breathing automatically synced with his. Like always, his smell worked as her own personal anesthesia and her eyelids grew painfully heavy.

Terra felt Aqua melding into his back. She was tired and fighting sleep. He could feel her cheek resting between his shoulder blades and he could tell by the pattern of her breathing that she was almost asleep.

"Tired?" he called over the bizarre hum of the glider.

He felt Aqua bobbing her head up and down in silent acknowledgement against his back.

"Didn't I tell you to go back to sleep this afternoon?" he chided lightheartedly.

She didn't answer but she did punch him in the back. It didn't hurt but it did say that she resented the remark.

Terra chuckled and Aqua could feel the vibrations of his silent laughter against her cheek. She wrapped her arms around herself and nestled farther into his back, hating herself for enjoying his presence, his smell, his noises, and for succumbing to old habits again the _instant_ they were alone together. She hated herself for all of it but all that self-loathing didn't keep her from surrendering to his familiarity and the bittersweet tranquility he offered.

When he felt her resting against him, Terra realized he shouldn't be scolding her for not sleeping when he told her to because if she had, he wouldn't have the privilege of feeling her against him now. Even if she wasn't holding onto him, just having her against him was enough. Hell, having her around at all was enough. He would take the fighting, the anger, the resentment, the hatred, all of it just to be with her. Having her livid with him was better than not having her at all. _Anything_ was better than not having her at all.

* * *

Day was breaking when Aqua and Terra reached Kaipo. The sun was barely peaking over dunes rippling along the horizon and emitting a low purple and orange glow over the burning, golden sand. The sun wasn't even completely up yet and Aqua could already feel the temperature steadily rising.

Terra stood and gave Aqua her signal to dismount. She gracefully leapt off the glider and pulled the suffocating, grainy cowl off of her face. She tried her best to remove all the sand from her clothes, hair, face, and legs but had little success. Aqua had decided she wasn't crazy about deserts.

Kaipo was built around the only body of water in the entire desert. Creamy walls surrounded the suburb and the inhabitants had built waterways so the body of water would flow through the town and give it life. The water shimmered as the early morning rays began to tickle its surface, making the small city itself glisten and sparkle like a translucent crystal.

The tiny buildings were as creamy as the walls that surrounded them. Tiny, vibrant shrubs grew by the small businesses and homes while bridges connected some of the town's districts so water could flow throughout the town. Aqua was surprised to see that grass even grew along the walkways where pavement had not been laid down. It was beautiful and Aqua could see why they called the town itself a desert oasis.

" _Did you hear about that rebellion in Deling?"_

Aqua froze dead in her tracks and squeezed Terra's arm, reeling him back so he could listen as well. Rounding the building corner, Aqua saw it was two gruff looking men having the exchange. They were hauling items and armor off a chocobo carriage to be taken to the several shops scattered throughout the town.

" _Yeah, I heard about one in Melmond too."_

" _Well, what did they think was gonna to happen when they started Purging their own people?! The Dark Realm is pissed and I don't blame 'em. The Overlords are paranoid about the Opposition but they're just fannin' the flames by conductin' Purges in the Dark Realm to draw 'em out. The Dark Rule has_ **finally** _messed up, 'bout time too!"_

" _Why are they so worried about the Opposition anyway? What could they possibly do to the Dark Rule? Aren't they just a tiny group of ruffians?"_

" _That's the thing, no one knows, but the Dark Rule seems to be afraid of 'em so there must be somethin' to that group of roughens! Who knows, maybe they're the ones startin' these rebellions, riots, revolts…or whatever you wanna call it. Anyway, if they're smart, they'll take advantage of the civil unrest. That is, if they haven't already."_

" _Oh! If we're lucky in a few years we might even get a coup…or a whole revolution! I say take it all the way to Hollow Bastion! Down with the Dark Rule!"_

" _Shh! You fuckin' dolt! There hasn't been a revolution yet! They're_ **still** _the most powerful bastards in the world! Hold your wad unless you want a Dark Knight rippin' your tongue out for speaking against them!"_

" _Mark my words, Deling and Melmond are just the beginning. It's the beginning of the end for the Dark Rule!"_

"Terra…" Aqua breathed as she looked up at him and brought him closer to her. "Is this true? Are they really conducting Purges in the Dark Realm?"

"Yeah. It's true," he replied, his eyes dark and distant.

"You helped…didn't you?" she inquired softly, shyly.

"Of course I did," Terra spat and yanked his arm away from her. "I haven't been a deserter that long. I'm not going to magically turn into a _good guy_ with a spotless record just because I deserted but I'm trying to change what I do from now on, okay? Baby steps. Baby-fucking-steps. So stop looking at me like that."

"Like what? Like you _aren't_ the scum of the earth? Light forbid someone actually expect something of you! Light forbid you actually live up to someone's expectations! Don't worry. I was just wondering how much you knew about all this because I thought it might be helpful…Trust me, I know better than to expect anything of you. I learned the hard way that you'll only disappoint me."

"Look-" he pinched the bridge of his nose "-I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to lose my temper like that."

"No…it's okay. I shouldn't have snapped either and I really shouldn't have asked..."

Terra didn't say anything else. Tired of fighting and tired in general, he merely motioned for Aqua to follow him further into the sleeping town.

"Okay, I know this is the part where we are ticked and don't speak to one another for a like twenty-four hours but I have to ask," Aqua whispered as she struggled to keep up with Terra's long, heated strides. "How do you have _'friends'_ here?"

"Is it so hard to believe that I actually have friends?" he responded vacantly without looking at her.

Aqua cocked her brow and looked at him sternly.

"Fine. When I deserted and almost died in the desert, a man and his daughter nursed me back to health," he confessed.

"How did you almost die in the desert? You made it fine just now." Aqua couldn't understand how Terra almost died in the desert when she just witnessed him navigate it flawlessly.

"I wasn't prepared. I left on impulse in the middle of the day during a nasty sandstorm. I couldn't use my glider, I had to walk, and I hadn't eaten in days. It was a lethal combination," he explained emotionlessly and knocked on the wooden door of a small house, effectively forcing the conversation to a close.

Aqua grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Terra! It can't be later than five in the morning! Don't bother these people! Have some courtesy..."

"Too late," he replied with a smirk as he heard shuffling on the other side of the door.

"Who in the hel—" A man with white hair, a long smooth beard, and cloudy, rounded glasses yanked opened the door but paused upon seeing them.

Nervously, Aqua smiled at him.

"Well I'll be damned." He snickered, "You know, when Anna asked if you would visit, I didn't think you would actually do it."

Anna? Who was Anna? Another one of Terra's sexual conquests no doubt. Wait, what if it was something worse than that? What if Terra actually _cared_ about this Anna?

_Jealous?_ a voice that sounded _way_ too much like Larxene teased in Aqua's head.

"It's good to see you too, Tellah." Terra grinned at the older man, something playful sparkling in his dark eyes.

Tellah's look of amusement and ridicule faded when he saw the quiet young woman at Terra's side. His eyes brightened and his smile instantly grew at the sight of her. "You brought a visitor."

Terra had noticed that Aqua just had that effect on people. She was just one of those special individuals who brightened a room and automatically brought smiles to people's faces. People were just drawn to her, himself included.

"Well don't just stand there! Come in! Come in!" The sage clapped and gestured for duo to follow him into his quant home.

"Now what is your name, my dear?" Tellah asked politely as he gently shut the door behind them.

"Aqua, sir. I'm terribly sorry for bothering you this early in the morning. I would have stopped him had I known he was actually going to knock."

"No, no, dear! The fault does not lie with you! I know very well who disturbed me." Tellah glared at the ex-knight. "And forgive me for forgetting my manners. I am Sage Tellah but you can just call me Tellah."

Aqua couldn't keep herself from recoiling at the word _sage._

"Don't panic," Terra whispered into her ear, his words warm and reassuring. "Here, sage just means that he has mastered both black and white magic."

Releasing a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, Aqua lightly placed a hand on Terra's shoulder in a silent expression of gratitude.

"So, want to tell me what a sweet, polite thing like you is doing with this brute?" Tellah asked courteously and pulled a chair out for the Light Keyblade wielder.

Aqua grinned and respectfully took the seat he offered. "Terra is helping me find my sister."

"How do you two know each other?" the elder probed again and tenderly pushed the chair up behind her.

"We…um," the Child of Light looked at Terra with pleading eyes that cried for help.

"We lived in the same city for a while," he finished for her, his tone rushed yet confident.

Tellah nodded. "So, Terra, what do you need _other_ than about five barrels of alcohol? Food? A place to stay?"

"A place to stay will suffice."

"We can get food on our own. We don't want to trouble you anymore than we have to," Aqua added and watched the sage take the seat next to her.

"It's no trouble. How long will you be staying with us?" Tellah rubbed the tip of his straight beard.

"We'll leave tonight," Terra replied. "We just need a place to catch our breath and rest a while before we head back out."

"Back into the desert? You going back to that prison?" Tellah's bushy brows wiggled with suspicion.

"Yes," Terra answered curtly, hoping the codger would take the hint that they weren't going to talk about this anymore.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll stop being nosy." Tellah waved his hand dismissively.

"Where's Anna?" Terra inquired and glanced into the direction of her room.

The fact that he knew where this girl's room was located was not lost on Aqua. Something similar to a needle prick plucked at the sensitive tissue of the organ that lightly thumped in her chest. The acidic prick stung until it made her shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Asleep like the rest of the living." Aqua couldn't see the older man's beady eyes but she knew he was rolling them.

Terra crossed his arms and leaned in the kitchen doorway, stubbornly turning mute.

"You two hungry?" Tellah asked, breaking the lingering silence.

"I'm not but Terra might be. We are mainly tired, sir," Aqua answered softly, controlling her voice since she knew a girl was trying to sleep in the room nearby.

"You can stay in the guest room. Terra knows where it is. Just make yourselves at home." Tellah yawned and rose to his feet.

"Father?" a silky, delicate voice sounded and a young woman glad in yellow timidly entered the kitchen. Her voice was wispy and blissful as it floated in the air around them. Her voice reminded Aqua of small, intricate wind chimes that sparkled in the early rays of morning. "Do we have company?"

"Yes. Terra and his friend, Aqua, have paid us a visit. They are on their way to Palamecia and they have come here to rest for a while," Tellah replied.

"Terra?" The girl's already bright features brightened further and rushed into the room.

Aqua glanced at Terra and saw that he had a half grin on his face as he waited for the girl to reach him.

"Terra!" Anna repeated and ran into his expecting arms.

Anna's slender arms wrapped around Terra's neck and his arms wound around her fine waist. Her long auburn hair shimmered and tickled at his tanned knuckles as he gingerly held her. Aqua noticed her hair was a bit longer than hers used to be and that her eyes were a dull blue-gray. Her cheeks were rosy and her lashes were so long they almost brushed her cheeks as she held her eyes closed. She was beautiful, and that faint, yet acute prickling in Aqua's heart was back.

Aqua looked away.

"I didn't think you would be back so soon!" Anna took Terra's face in her small hands.

"Yeah, me neither," the ex-knight admitted as he released her waist.

"Did I hear father say that…" Anna's curious eyes left Terra to eagerly journey across the room to the young woman sitting at her kitchen table.

"Oh! Hello," Anna greeted warmly and Aqua's eyes met hers once she realized it was safe to regard her again. "My name is Anna. You're Aqua?"

Aqua gave a small, genuine smile. "Yes, it's nice to meet you, Anna."

Anna beamed at her and placed a lock of auburn behind one of her ears. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Well, I hate to be a party pooper but we really need to get some rest." Terra stretched and motioned for Aqua to follow him. "Aqua and I have to leave at sunset."

"Thank you again for all your hospitality," Aqua added as Terra pulled her chair out for her. "It was a pleasure meeting you both."

"The pleasure is ours," Tellah responded kindly.

"You all can chit-chat later but right now I'm about to fall over," Terra groused and repressed a yawn.

"Wait." Anna walked towards them. "Aqua?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to take a bath before you lie down?" Anna offered. "Not to be rude, but I know that all that sand plastered to you can't be comfortable. I know I couldn't sleep with sand all over me."

"Oh…I don't know…" Aqua chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "I appreciate the offer but it isn't really necessary."

"No. I insist." Anna smiled and tugged Aqua's arm. "And don't worry about Terra. He can rest while you take your bath. He looks like he needs the rest more anyway."

"I heard that," Terra grumbled and Anna stuck her tongue out at him, coaxing an eye roll and a subdued smirk out of the ex-knight. Again, Aqua looked away from the exchange. Somehow, watching them playfully yet innocently interact made her uncomfortable.

"Come on," Anna insisted and tugged Aqua towards the bathroom.

Anna hauled her down a narrow hallway and into a small bathroom. Once inside, the girl in yellow shut the door behind them and made her way over to the tub.

"You can go ahead and start undressing while the tub fills up," Anna instructed as she bent over into the tub to run Aqua's bath water.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you," Aqua replied and began removing her armored shoes.

"I'm glad I got to meet you," Anna admitted, holding her hand to the gushing water to check its temperature.

Aqua looked at her skeptically.

Anna giggled. "Terra mentioned you a few times. Plus, he talks in his sleep."

Aqua almost wanted to roll her eyes but she didn't. Of course this girl knew what Terra did in his sleep. She probably kept him _company_ in that guest bed while he was here. However, Aqua never knew Terra to talk in his sleep. When he was out, he was out. She began to wonder how much he had changed. Maybe Terra _did_ talk in his sleep now.

"Well…technically, it wasn't his fault. He had desert fever so he couldn't really control what he said," Anna added and Aqua fought the urge to smile. Maybe he hadn't changed that much after all.

"Desert fever?" Aqua asked as she removed Terra's cowl and her jet-black stockings.

"Didn't he tell you?" Anna inquired. "That's why he was here in the first place. Some hunters from our town found him out in the desert half dead. When they brought him to my father to see if he could heal him, we realized he had desert fever. It was the worst case any of us had ever seen. He's really lucky to be alive."

"No…um…he didn't tell me." Aqua shook her head and continued to undress. "We, uh, we haven't been back together that long…"

_Poor choice of words, Aqua…_

"He… He's a Dark Knight, isn't he?" Anna asked timidly, her blue-gray eyes watching Aqua intently.

Aqua's eyes widened with fear and surprise.

"Oh! No! Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I wouldn't do anything to put him in danger… I was just curious that's all."

"Yeah…" Aqua sighed. "He is…or was…"

"Then…how do you know each other?"

"We, uh, lived together for a while…I mean, we lived in the same town for a while." Aqua quickly adjusted her statement when she realized her first was rather scandalous and Anna seemed a bit…reserved and possibly conservative, although Aqua was still pretty sure she had slept with Terra the first chance she got.

"Oh," Anna nodded but didn't seem pacified. "Well, your bath is ready."

"Okay. Thank you so much." The Keyblade wielder offered a brief smile before turning her attention to folding up her clothes.

Anna lingered in the doorway and shifted around from foot to foot anxiously. "Can I ask you another question? It's kind of personal…"

"Uh. Sure," Aqua replied hesitantly.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to catch his heart? He is so…hostile and unfriendly. He just seems like he wouldn't be the type to fall for _anyone_..."

Instantly, Aqua realized this girl had tried to _'catch his heart'_ and failed, and the more immature part of Aqua was a bit glad. She felt a bit like a shallow, protective little girl who had abandoned an old toy that she never really wanted to begin with but had grown rather fond nonetheless because for a while, it was the only toy she had. Aqua didn't know if she wanted it anymore, but she _did_ know that she _definitely_ didn't want anyone else to have it.

_This is pathetic, Aqua! You're not this person! What is wrong with you? You are better and much more mature than this!_

"Honestly?" Aqua chuckled and tried to hide her bitterness toward the man in question. "I wasn't trying to…so I didn't really _do_ anything. It just kind of…happened."

As she spoke she realized that, that was probably one of the reasons Terra had fallen for her. Anna – and probably any other girl who had been interested in hi – chased him or pursued him, but Terra was a hunter and hunters wanted to hunt. Anna chased while Aqua lured, but somehow Aqua couldn't help thinking that it wouldn't matter if Anna _had_ lured. You can't catch what has already been caught.

* * *

When Aqua finished her bath and entered the guest bedroom, she saw that there was only one bed but she was so tired she just couldn't bring herself to care.

Most of her clothes had been put back on except for her gloves, the short lavender skirt she wore over her shorts, the protective covering she wore on her wrists, her steel plated shoes, and her black stockings, so she put the excess on top of the chest of drawers by the doorway. After neatly folding her clothes on the glossy surface, she towel dried her short, damp hair while and aimlessly walked around the small guest room.

The creaky bedroom door and the soft pitter-patter of sopping feet on the wooden floor caused Terra to stir. He roused and sat upright on the bed, intently watching Aqua dry her hair and carefully survey the room she would inhabit for the next few hours.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked and glared at the aged but still red gashes on her upper arm. They clearly hadn't been healed properly. He could see that from across the room.

"A Heartless got me in Oerba a while back," she responded softly and flatly as she began folding the towel she had been using to dry her hair.

"Then why is it still there?" Terra questioned cynically as he got off the bed and walked toward her, causing Aqua to back away from him.

Aqua baked away and began playing with her fingers nervously. "…I…I can't use white magic anymore."

Terra froze. "What? Why not?"

"I don't know. I haven't been able to effectively since… Naminé has been trying to help me but I just can't anymore."

"Here,-" he reached for her arm "-let me—"

"No. Don't." Aqua took another step back and almost backed into the nearest wall.

"Sorry. I…I forgot…"

_For a second, I forgot that you hate me…_

"No… No, Terra, I didn't mean it like that." The Child of Light realized her mistake after she'd made it. For once, she wasn't backing away and refusing him because of their bizarre personal life.

"I won't let _anyone_ heal me," she emphasized so he would know that it wasn't just him this time. "It's kind of my weird way of motivating myself. Unless it is fatal or serious, I won't let anyone treat my wounds. I made a rule that unless _I_ can heal myself, I won't be healed at all. I was hoping that this would spur something in my instincts or that the need or the practice would trigger it or bring it back…or something…"

"You should talk to Tellah about it." Terra walked to the chest that sat at the foot of the bed. "He's a wise old soul. He knows a lot and has supposedly mastered white magic, so it couldn't hurt."

"What would I tell him, Terra?" Aqua shook her head, her eyes shing with shame. "That I was a rehabilitation subject that got shot up with magic suppressant for almost a year? That this is either some kind of chemical imbalance or some kind of sick psychological issue? He'll think I'm crazy…"

"He won't think you're crazy. What happened to you wasn't your fault. Anyone with eyes could see that," Terra said darkly as he began ruthlessly yanking blankets out of a chest. "Besides, you probably won't even have to tell him everything if you don't want to. You can be vague. Just give him what he needs."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I-I might talk to him before we leave…" Aqua sighed and walked around bed.

Terra grabbed an armful of blankets, threw them into a heap on the floor, and began making a messy pallet.

"Don't be stupid," Aqua chided as she crawled into bed. She found this imitation modesty absurd. It was ridiculous to pretend to have some now. They had shared a bed together so many times before it was laughable to try to have reserve now. She didn't see the point in it. She didn't feel like pretending they hadn't done this before, not when it was just them, not when they were alone. They knew very well what they had done and pretending or suggesting otherwise was utterly preposterous.

"I don't mind. Really," Terra countered. "I know sharing a bed with me again isn't at the top of your list."

Aqua exhaled slowly and shook her head.

"Don't be stupid," she repeated and gestured to the empty space beside her.

Terra relented with a sigh, left his makeshift bed in the floor, and walked to the bed. Silently, he followed her lead and began to partially undress so he would be more comfortable too. He removed his armored shoes and the golden and bronze armor from his arm before worming his way out of his red suspenders.

Aqua rolled over so that her back was facing him and Terra mimicked her actions once he tossed his unnecessary clothing to the floor.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for not going with you when you asked me to," Terra mused and he felt Aqua rotating on the bed to peer back at him. "I should have gone with you…"

"When did you realize that?" she sneered.

"I didn't realize it until later. I regretted it after a while…and I regret it now." He turned to meet her bright gaze.

"I just…I wasn't ready that day. I just… I couldn't. I was too stubborn, selfish, and set in my ways and I didn't think that you… Things were just different then. I wanted different things…" Terra exhaled harshly and ran a hand through his brown hair.

"Terra," she breathed and he turned onto his back so he could see her better. "What made you decide to leave?"

"A combination of things," he confessed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You, your sister, even your master."

Aqua shot up and looked down at him. "You spoke with Master Eraqus?"

"Yeah. He is in the prison with Kairi. I used to go talk to him a lot. He…he told me that Xehanort killed my mother…"

"And you believed him?"

"I could see Xehanort doing it, so yeah, I did. But that was just one of the things I learned after you left. Before that, Larxene told me that she and Marluxia were keeping visions from the Overlords so they could control the way certain futures played out. That's how you were able to escape. Larxene wanted you gone so she kept the vision of you leaving to herself and let you leave."

Aqua smirked. "Remind me to thank her?"

"I wouldn't thank her yet. She probably let you escape so something worse could happen to you later."

"So I didn't outsmart them… They knew after all," she groaned and shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah," Terra scoffed. "They always know, even when you don't think they do..."

"So they probably know we are in Kaipo right now. They probably know we're coming for Kairi tonight?" Aqua probed meekly.

"Probably," he replied with brutal honesty, his eyes boring into the ceiling.

Aqua fell onto her back in frustration. "They're waiting for us, aren't they?"

"They are definitely waiting for you…but they are going to have to go through me to get to you." Terra smiled and shifted onto his side to face her. Their eyes mated and Aqua fought the urge to avoid his eyes.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you-" he placed one of his warm hands on top of hers "-or Kairi."

Silence hung heavy around him as his hand rested atop hers. Aqua didn't reciprocate the action but it still felt... _good._ They were balancing each other again. She felt it. He was warming her and she was cooling him. She was his Light and he was her Darkness. Something strange always stirred when they touched each other even when it was a subtle, insignificant, and innocent gesture. Their affinity was as strong and as present as it had been on their last day together in Hollow Bastion. Regardless of what had happened, it was always there and it was easily rekindled.

Terra gave her hand a small squeeze before letting go and rolling onto his back.

"Is Master Eraqus okay?" Aqua changed the subject like he expected her to.

"I mean he isn't what I would consider _okay_ but he is surviving."

"And…Kairi?" Her softened and wavered as she peered at him with pleading eyes that were so radiant he felt like he might have to look away from them to obtain relief.

"I did everything I could for her while I was there. She was okay when I left and I told Roxas to take care of her too. I figured I would probably leave or be executed at some point. I knew I wouldn't be able to look after her forever so I made Roxas promise me that he would if something _did_ happen to me."

"Thank you," she whispered, a flood of relief and gratitude washing over her and her tender heart swelling until it almost hurt.

Terra…Terra had taken care of her sister. He had even taken precautions to ensure that she would continue to be looked after. She didn't understand why he did it but she did know she was truly and eternally grateful that he had. At that moment, it was one of the greatest gifts someone could ever offer her and for the first time in over a year, she felt a bit better. It was probably miniscule and insignificant in the long run but at that moment it meant the world to her and lessened the relentless guilt that constantly plagued her.

Terra shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't do much."

"Still. Thank you, Terra. Geez, you need to learn how to accept gratitude," she complained and rolled over, her back coldly facing him again.

"It's hard when I feel like I don't deserve it," Terra grumbled.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't think you deserved it, Terra."

Terra rolled over to his other side. "Then I accept it."

"Good." She yawned. "Goodnight…well, good morning, Terra."

He chuckled softly. "Good morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> Confirmation: Naminé IS a seeress! Chalk one up for the good guys! I have hinted at this for a while now so kudos to those of you who caught onto it early on! As always, we will get into more of this later!
> 
> Next time, we should get into the prison to save Kairi and we can catch up on Yen Sid, Sora, and Eraqus so stick around! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	35. Moonlight on Sand

The sunset outside the window and the dying but blazing rays gleaming through the window forced Aqua to wake. The light poured through the cracks in the curtains and cruelly shone through her closed eyelids. She winced at its powerful, orange brightness and curled into a tighter ball as if it would somehow make the world less bright.

As she shifted on the bed, she could sense Terra next to her. She could hear his steady breathing and knew he was still asleep. Aqua had noticed that Terra slept more now than he did when they were in Hollow Bastion. She thought he was a bit of a morning person but she was realizing that wasn't the case and that the real reason he had always gotten up so early in the mornings was because he had no choice, suggesting that they had something else in common. They liked sleeping in.

Terra wasn't holding her. He didn't even touch her. He wasn't even _close_ to touching her and she hadn't offered to get on his chest or touch him either. It felt…odd. She didn't necessarily _want_ to sleep together like they used to but it just seemed like that was what they were _supposed_ to do. It was what they had always done.

The Keyblade Master began to stir and he rolled over onto his side, facing her. His indigo eyes opened and he noticed his bedmate was awake but her bright eyes were still lidded and tired.

"Morning," he yawned and closed his eyes again when the urge to rest became too daunting.

"Good morning but technically, it's sunset," she responded and tucked her hands under her head.

"Oh. Right."

Terra couldn't help but notice that things were different between them now. He felt like he knew her but at the same time he felt like he didn't… _at all_. One moment it was like they had never been apart and the next it felt like he had never met her before. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe they needed to be strangers. Darkness knew they needed to start over and erase all the bullshit they had been through together. Terra couldn't keep himself from hoping that maybe now, maybe _now_ they could finally get that _other life_ they always talked about, the one where they weren't enemies, one where they could coexist, one where she could care about him and not feel conflicted about it, one where they could move on and maybe forget some of the pain he had savagely and thoughtlessly dealt to them both…

"You're different," Aqua breathed.

Terra's blue eyes opened again and his brow rose. "Bad different?"

"No." A meek smile graced her lips. "It's a good different."

Terra merely nodded. He knew she was right. He was different and he knew it, but she was different too. She was…stronger somehow. There was this new air of determination, strength, resolve, and fearlessness to her now, but he could still see the woman he fell in love with beneath this new air around her. Not that this new air was a bad thing. In fact, it made her even more appealing to him. If he were a moth, she had simply become an even brighter flame.

"We should get up," she said but didn't move to do so.

"Yeah. We should," he agreed but didn't offer to raise either.

It was strange. The brittle filament between them, it had survived their separation, their hurt, their anger, and their resentment. Aqua thought it had broken and Terra just knew he had mercilessly ripped it apart like he did everything else but here it was and here they were.

They had almost picked up where they left off… but how? How was it even possible? How were they able to give each other so much peace, something that was impossible them to obtain for so long, something they both forgot even existed but was so frighteningly close now.

Aqua had hated him for so long… She had even hated him a few days ago…or maybe she just _wanted_ to hate him then. No, she knew didn't hate him. Not anymore. She hadn't truly hated him in a long time. Now she was just angry and hurt because of what he had done, because she had foolishly grown to care about him, because she had missed him more than she _ever_ wanted to admit.

During their silence, Aqua took a moment to look at him, really look at him for the first time since he had joined their little group.

She had to be careful when regarding him. She always had been. It was a hazardous game. She had glared at him often since they were reunited but she hadn't truly _looked_ at him since she left Hollow Bastion.

The former knight's hair had grown and it wasn't as kept or as pristine as it used to be. His chocolate locks grew down the back of his neck and the rugged sides framed his striking face. Terra's eyes still had the same unique yet stunning color of only the deepest shades of blue, but – like him – they were different. They had aged. They weren't enraged or vexed as they had been in Hollow Bastion and they weren't troubled or pained as they had been in Deling City. They were almost tranquil but they were also worn…haunted. It was as if they had seen more than they ever should. Aqua couldn't help but wonder when they changed and what had changed them. Terra hadn't voiced the details of what had changed his once narrow outlook on life and what had driven him to aid her and leave what he had been so loyal too for so long but she knew it couldn't have been an easy road to travel or an easy conclusion to come to.

His eyes held an almost new expression and demeanor but they still drew her in just as they always had. They mesmerized her, hypnotized her, and implored her to trudge deeper into their bottomless, perilous depths until she completely and willingly drowned herself in them. She knew the danger of looking at his eyes for too long and of looking at them too deeply but she didn't stop herself, she couldn't. She had allowed herself to openly gaze into his eyes where she would inevitably lose herself, and Light help her she liked it.

At that moment, in each other's eyes, in that silence, in that room, there was nothing else. There weren't Seer Sages, Dark Knights, the Dark Rule, Servants of Darkness, or Children of Light. There was no past and there was no future. It was just them in a quiet little demented world they had unknowingly made around themselves one thousand times before, a world where they got lost in each other, something that sometimes came as easy as breathing when they were together, when she stupidly opened herself to him, when he foolishly and selfishly pulled her in, a timeless world that was oblivious to the miserable, aching world outside the four frail walls that surrounded them, oblivious to their past, oblivious to what they had done to one another, oblivious of all the pain, torment, confusion, frustration, and rage…

Unmindfully and in spite of his better judgment, Terra reached out and brushed a short strand of blue off her face. Aqua closed her eyes as his fingertips gently traced her temple and caressed down her cheek then across her jawline.

He had to touch her. He just _had_ to. He felt like he would implode or burst into a billion pieces if he denied himself the intoxicating and soothing sensation of touching her for one more second.

Her breath snagged in her throat and her eyes started to burn. His hand flattened against her cheek and she reflexively held it there with her own despite how much it tortured and conflicted her to do so.

Why were they like this? Why was she always so drawn to him in spite of everything? Despite _everything_ he had done to her? Why was fate so cruel?! Why were they chosen to be some kind of sick cosmic joke for Light or Darkness or any other divine entity to find sadistic amusement in?

Tears of frustration and confusion slowly fell from her eyes. Light help her she was weak, weak and pathetic. For the life of her she couldn't keep her perplexing, overwhelming emotions in check when it came to him.

"Don't cry," he pleaded, his voice steely yet soft as he wiped her tears away with his thumb. "I'm so tired of making you cry."

Knocking resonated through the room and broke the fragile barriers they had built around themselves. As if she'd been shocked, Aqua jerked away from Terra and wretched her face away from his hand. She regained her senses and better judgment as their invisible fortress shattered into tiny pieces and fell around them, tearing at their skin and the tissue of their hearts apart as it collapsed.

"Come in," Terra called despondently after releasing a frustrated puff of air from his lungs.

"Sorry to bother you," Anna stated timidly and averted her gaze from the the bed as she eased into the room, "but dinner is ready."

"Okay. Thanks. We'll be out in a moment." Terra managed to smile over his shoulder at her even though his tone was dry and flat.

Anna beamed back and gently closed the door. Once Anna was gone, Aqua's azure head popped up and she stumbled out of bed as if she couldn't get away from him fast enough.

_Back to square one,_ Terra mused as he followed her lead and got out of bed as well. He was familiar with square one. He had been stuck there perpetually for a while now or maybe he never really left it… _How could you leave square one after everything you have done to her? If you aren't hurting her physically, you're hurting her emotionally._

The Keyblade wielder redressed without uttering another word to him and scurried out of the room as if it were on fire. After taking a few moments to dress and brood, Terra followed suit.

"Terra, I think this is a new record for you," Tellah sneered as Terra unhurriedly entered the kitchen.

"What?" Terra mumbled curtly and plopped into the chair across the table from Aqua. He didn't want to sit next to her. Things were suddenly very awkward between them. Well, _more_ awkward; things were always pretty awkward but that little _relapse…_ or whatever the hell that was on that bed certainly didn't help things. Saying that they were hot and cold would be an understatement. Fuck, saying that they were anything _other_ than a completely fucked up mess would be an understatement.

"I think this is the longest I have seen you go without drinking. Not to mention, I think this is the most sober I've ever seen you," Tellah mocked and gave Terra a plate of food.

"Mm," Terra grumbled and tried to ignore the concerned look Aqua was giving him. He didn't have to look directly at her to see the worry spiraling in her eyes. That was the second time Tellah had made light of his drinking… _problem_ and he could tell that it perturbed Aqua on some level. Terra flirted with substance abuse; he would admit it but he had never really felt ashamed of it…until now.

The ex-knight knew she was wondering how bad his drinking had gotten and what had pushed him to that point. He could feel it. He had only drank around her once or twice during their year together, but once she was gone, he practically swam in whiskey when he didn't have duties or obligations to attend to. Not to mention, he was completely shit faced when he stumbled upon her in Deling. So Tellah joking about his drinking was doing nothing for Aqua's image of him or her growing concern and curiosity regarding the comfort that he found at the bottom of a bottle…but that would be a heated debate he would deal with later.

"I hate to change the subject but I have a question." Terra thoughtlessly played with the steak and potatoes on his plate with his fork.

"Hmm?" Tellah answered and placed his own plate on the table.

"Aqua has lost her ability to cast white magic. Do you think you could help her out?"

Tellah's caterpillar like brows ran together. "What happened to you, dear?"

"I…" Aqua looked at Terra. "I…"

"Hmmm…" Tellah stroked his beard as he watched her peculiar reaction. He wasn't a Seer Sage, nor was he a mind reader, but he could tell there was something a bit… _off_ between Aqua and Terra. "I think this conversation can wait until after we eat, don't you?" The sage subtly offered Aqua an escape.

"Yes sir," Aqua said politely as she began eating.

* * *

"Anna, take the brute outside. I believe I need to talk to Aqua alone."

Anna nodded, took a reluctant Terra by the hand, and hauled him out of the house.

"There. Now that the savage is gone, maybe you'll feel more comfortable." Tellah smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose.

The sage didn't miss much. Somehow he knew she didn't really want to discuss this in front of Terra. It made Aqua wonder how much this man knew, how much had he picked up on just by watching them interact.

"Thank you." Aqua half grinned as her eyes stubbornly focused on the table's worn, wooden surface.

"So you can no longer conjure white magic?"

"No, sir. I haven't been able to for a while now. My black magic works fine. It's stronger than it's ever been, but when I try to cast white magic, it is ineffective. It manifests but it doesn't heal. It's like it's sterile." Aqua was trying her best to explain her handicap without getting into her past with a certain young man.

"Then the problem isn't your ability. The ability is there if you can conjure it. And you could properly conjure before, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"When was the last time you were able to use effective white magic?" he asked.

"It was over a year ago. I think I was healing my sister…I may have even been healing myself… I don't really remember," she replied, her expression blank as she desperately tried to remember something from what felt like another lifetime ago.

"Let me rephrase it then, when did you _notice_ that you had lost the ability?"

Aqua grimaced and rested her elbows on the table as she held her head in her hands. She didn't want to do this. She _really_ didn't want to do this.

"My dear, we all have complicated pasts. Everyone that isn't blessed by the Dark Rule has gone through hell at some point. I know because I am no exception. The Dark Rule took my wife away from me." Tellah patted Aqua's back.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. The Dark Rule took both of my parents. Anna is so lucky to have you." She glanced over her shoulder at the sage and managed a small smile.

"I'm lucky to have her, but, Aqua, as hard as it may be, unless you talk to me I won't be able to help you. You're going to have to meet me halfway. I am not going to force you to tell me anything, but if you want my help, you are going to have to give me something to work with."

"It was after a Purge at my home," she began, her tone icy and her body language frigid. "They came and took my sister and my Master. After the Purge, I went to one of my friends so he could help me search for my sister, but I was captured shortly after. I made a deal with one of the Dark Knights who caught me that if he would spare my friend, I wouldn't use any of my magic or my Keyblade to try to escape. They wanted me to go with them and in exchange for my friend's life life…I did."

Tellah placed his hands under his chin and listened intently.

Aqua sucked in a deep breath. "I was taken to Hollow Bastion where I learned they wanted to rehabilitate me. During my time there, I was put on magic suppressant so I wouldn't be able to cast at all. Eventually, I regained my ability to use my black magic but my white magic was never the same."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She hadn't meant go into so much detail…and she really shouldn't have told him she was a rehabilitation subject, but once she started, she found she couldn't stop.

"So…to answer your questions the last time I conjured was before that Purge, before I bargained with the Dark Knight, and before I was put on magic suppressant, but I didn't notice it was _really_ gone until after I escaped from the Dark Capital. At first, I thought it was just the magic suppressant but it hasn't been in my system for months…"

"You have quite the story, my dear, but I cannot say I'm surprised. Your eyes are aged much beyond their years. You have been through much…I noticed that when you stood in my doorway." He paused for a moment as he contemplated all this. "I'm sorry for what happened to you but you truly are a miracle. No one has ever escaped from Hollow Bastion; much less live to tell about it. But I digress." The sage waved his hand around dismissively. "I believe this is a psychological issue."

"Yeah. I was afraid of that." Aqua glanced out the window to watch the moon's glow slowly replacing the dying firelight of the sun in the distance.

"White magic is life. While black magic can be fueled by rage, anger, resentment and other emotions, white magic purely thrives off of balance, intimacy, and life. As you probably know, there is a degree of trust and confidence to it. You must believe that you can heal them and they must trust that you can do so. No doubt your trauma impacted your confidence and trust in others as well as yourself." Tellah conjured a weak Cura in his hand to provide an example.

Aqua nodded dejectedly as she watched the ethereal healing element spiral around his hand and lovingly caress his fingers.

"Spite and diamond dust…" she raved as her eyes watered.

"Pardon?" Tellah's brow furrowed.

"After I escaped, a woman once told me I was full of spite and diamond dust."

"You're bitter about what happened to you?"

"Honestly, I'm bitter about a lot of things. I was even before I was taken to the Dark Capital but that certainly didn't help." Aqua chuckled darkly.

"You guise it well. You don't strike me as a bitter person." He shrugged a shoulder.

Aqua smirked. "That's because it isn't directed at you."

_It's directed at the Dark Rule and all those associated with it…_

"Aqua." Tellah grabbed her hand. "I think this is about your inner turmoil. I hardly know you but if I had to guess…I would say you can't heal anyone because you don't think you are capable of doing so. Your black magic is stronger than it has ever been because it is thriving off your growing resentment, your spite, and your bitterness."

Aqua nodded. It made sense. She didn't feel like she was capable of healing anyone but she _did_ feel like she could destroy someone… Maybe she had gone without healing for so long that she forgot how. Maybe she forgot what it felt like or was supposed to feel like. Or maybe she just didn't feel worthy of casting white magic anymore. Maybe she _was_ the Black Mage after all. Maybe she _was_ still turning into that deplorable being…

"What should I do?" she pleaded but her eyes didn't rise to meet his.

"Maybe you should forgive yourself for whatever grievance you think you have committed? Maybe you need to reestablish the connection you had to healing in the first place. How did you learn to cast white magic?"

"My…" Her voice broke as her strength began to waver. "My mother taught me. She was an excellent healer. My grandmother was too. They would kiss the _'boo-boos'_ away… I just mimicked it. It was so warm…and caring… I was so young when I first cast it. As a child, it was just another act of love and compassion like hugging or kissing."

"What is it to you now?"

"I…I don't know. A means to an end…?" As the words left her lips she realized how far gone she was, how much she had changed since the Purge, since her rehabilitation. She hadn't thought of healing as an act of compassion since Terra healed her, but she hadn't been the one healing then. Any time she tried to use white magic she was doing it because she _had_ to, to escape, to find Kairi, to reach a goal…not to help or to aid or because she cared. White magic was just a means to an end, nothing more, nothing less. Something that had once held such warmth and rapport had been reduced to something she wasn't interested in but something she did because she felt she _had_ to.

"I think you just gave yourself the answer," Tellah replied, seeing the light go off over her head. "You need to mend that connection you had with white magic, the connection that makes it work. You need to forgive yourself and you need to let go of some of that rancor that is inhibiting that connection but only you know how to do that."

"I-I don't know if I can… I don't know if I have that warmth inside me anymore…"

_Spite and diamond dust… I'm nothing but spite and diamond dust…_

"Aqua, you have to or you will never be able to cast white magic again."

' _Cold to the bone this one is! Full of spite and diamond dust!'_ Mona had said…and she was right.

* * *

Aqua was deadly quiet after they said their goodbyes to Anna and Tellah and left Kaipo, which made the ride to the Palamecia Desert Prison a bit uncomfortable for Terra. The prolonged silence was making him antsy. He wanted to ask her what was wrong. Normally, he could guess but there were too many possibilities for an accurate speculation this time. There were so many things that could have caused her mutism. Was she pissed because of what had happened between them that morning? Was she nervous about busting into one of the highest security prisons in the Dark Realm? Was she upset about something Tellah had told her about her magic? He didn't have a fucking clue. It wasn't like he would be able to offer her solace anyway. He had never been good at that.

When the sinking tower came into view, Aqua felt Terra nudging her side with his elbow. She tensed and her blue brow furrowed until she noticed what he was trying to get her to notice.

"Is that it?" she called over the hum of the glider although she was desperately hoping this wasn't it…

"That's it," Terra replied bluntly and Aqua swallowed hard.

They weren't even that close to that ominous tower and Aqua was already intimidated. The prison tower was crooked and dark. It was leaning and sinking into the ebony dunes beneath it that had once offered it a sturdy foundation.

She could sense the Darkness around it, the Darkness that seeped off of it and levitated up to the sky like lazy smoke, the Darkness that corrupted the very air around the establishment and formed thick, unbearable smog. Aqua's windpipe closed and she began coughing as if the Darkness had filled her lungs and clogged her throat and began to suffocate her. The illusion, the vision, the aura, it all felt so real although she knew it wasn't. She hadn't felt or sensed Darkness this profuse since she first entered the Grand Hall of Tarnen Palace.

Aqua shifted on the glider and hid behind Terra's broad frame to keep the tower's intimidating presence away. She couldn't dwell on it and she couldn't let it get to her. It couldn't hurt her and even if it could, nothing was going to keep her away from her sister, not when she was so close to finally reaching her.

Before they got too close, Terra landed the glider on a heap of blackened sand that barely reflected the pale moonlight and motioned for Aqua to dismount. Without a word, she did as she was told.

"Are we going to walk?" she inquired softly as Terra called Earthshaker back to his hand.

"Yeah. If they hear my glider, it'll be over. Put your hood up," he instructed sternly and began using his own hood and cowl to disappear.

Aqua was starting to see what he meant when he said the cowl he gave her would give her stealth. When Terra pulled up his hood and pulled the cowl over his nose and mouth, he practically disappeared within the thick blackness of night.

Nodding, she mimicked his actions.

"How are we going to get in?" she asked softly as they began clumsily trudging through the thick, grainy mass beneath their feet.

"There's a concealed entrance at the base of the tower. It was sealed off years ago after the tower was turned into a prison. Not many people know it's there. I think I can bust it in or pry it open without drawing too much attention to us. They don't worry about the base entrances much, especially not this one. They're more paranoid about someone scaling the tower and using one of the windows to get in."

Aqua sprinted through the sand and tried her best to keep up with Terra's heated pace and long strides, her armored feet slipping underneath her on the flimsy terrain as she ran. The ex-knight was clearly more used to the landscape beneath them than she was. Normally, she was much quicker than him.

With wide eyes the Child of Light gazed up at the tower as they approached it. The menacing watchtower loomed over her like a monster, the one that had consumed her sister. Once she looked at it, she found she couldn't look away. It was like it was _alive_ , like it was taking deep, ragged breaths. If she didn't know better, she would've thought that the tower's hot searing breath was what created the desert and the sandstorm that surrounded it.

"Aqua. Hey. Aqua!" Terra panicked a bit as Aqua gazed up at the tower with dilated eyes. She didn't blink and she was shivering a bit.

"Aqua." He ran to her and took hold of her shoulders. "Aqua!" he shook her but her eyes didn't leave the tower and he felt her shoulders trembling in his hands.

"Such…such a terrible…Darkness…" she raved.

"Aqua." Terra took her face in his hands in an attempt to pry her eyes away from the prison. "It's just a tower. It can't hurt you. Do you hear me? It can't hurt you."

Blinking rapidly her glowing, baby blue eyes regained focus and peered back at him.

"Are you okay?" His eyes left her to gaze back at the tower that stood behind him. He couldn't see what she saw, but he didn't have her pure eyes. He didn't have her Light. To him, it was just a tower, a bunch of brick and mortar on top of a dune.

"Don't you feel it?" Aqua placed her hands over her heart. "That Darkness around it…and in it…it's like it's alive…"

With a sigh, Terra released her face and glared at the tower. He tried his damnedest to see what Aqua was seeing, and for the first time in his life, he could almost sense Darkness. Instead of being desensitized to it like he had been desensitized to violence, chaos, remorse, murder, guilt, and gore, he could almost _feel_ it. It was faint but he could sense it almost like he sensed Light but this was a much more sinister feeling. Light made him feel warm inside, but it stung and blinded him a bit. This Darkness was familiar, thick, numbing, and hot but made him feel like he was suffocating.

"The tower isn't alive. The Darkness in it is. Come on. We have to keep moving. Don't look at it and don't dwell on it. Nothing good will come of it."

Somehow she managed to rip her eyes away from the structure and follow Terra to a door that she could have sworn was just a wall until she saw the faint edges around it. .

Terra placed a hand on his chin and one on his hip as he contemplated how he would pry this damned thing open. It wasn't locked like a regular door and hardly qualified as a door at all so being a Keyblade Master would do him little to no good with this particular obstacle.

After a moment of contemplation, he summoned Earthshaker and stabbed it into one of the door's edges. He dug Earthshaker into the almost invisible gap that simply looked like a line of cement that held the bricks of the tower together.

"Aqua, come help me," he grunted and began trying to use Earthshaker as a crowbar.

Terra shifted and pulled at the door's indiscernible lining as Aqua began pushing at Earthshaker's hilt. The brick that made up the _door_ began to groan and creak. Dust was spat out of the creases as the door slowly pried open.

"Move," Terra instructed sharply and Aqua quickly scurried out of his way. He wretched Earthshaker out of the door's opening only to slam it back into one of the cemented outlines. With all his might began trying to saw through the dust, dirt, grime, and aged cement with his Keyblade along the top and bottom of the sealed door. It looked like he was carving a door into the tower's base himself.

Once he managed to manipulate the elements that had sealed outline of the door ages ago, he shoved Earthshaker back into the door's opening where he attempted to pry the door open again. Without instruction, Aqua took Earthshaker's hilt again and began to push with him.

"That's probably as far as we're going to get," he rasped, examining the small gap they had created.

"Will you be able to fit through that?" Aqua inquired honestly as she noticed the size of the cavity.

"I guess we're going to find out." Terra smirked behind his cowl. "Wait here."

He took in a deep breath as if it would make him smaller and began wrenching his way through the tiny entry they had created. As expected, the other side of the door was nothing but a wall of pure rock and earth. He dug his feet into the ground beneath his feet and began punching his way through the rock wall, trying his best to manipulate the element inside the wall as if he had magically created the wall himself. He battered the wall until his knuckles and almost all the bones in his hands shattered.

"Fuck!" he hissed when his hands could take no more.

Taking a deep breath, he cast Curaga upon his hands and began pounding his way through the wall again. He used his hands, elbows, knees, and feet to try to create a hole big enough for him and Aqua to crawl through.

After wrestling with the barrier for what seemed like hours, he began to wonder if he would _ever_ reach the other side of this wall or if there even _was_ another side, but just as he was about to give up and tell Aqua that they would have to find another way in, he managed to punch through the wall. However, when his hand went through the rock, it went right into a snare of metal.

Terra realized another barrier rested beyond the wall of earth. Apparently, they had begun piling garbage and prison debris on the other side of the wall they'd placed in front of the entrance. It was then that Terra realized where this entryway led. It led to the furnace, the room where all the debris, scraps, waste, and trash from the prison went. The metal his hand collided with was the metal of broken cell doors and other chunks of unidentified hazardous shit that had been piled up over the years.

Now that the barrier of rock had been penetrated, Terra could swear he smelled poison in the air. Did they know he would enter through this room?

Coughing he secured his cowl over his mouth and began crawling and shifting through the mountain of debris. He held his breath as he pushed, shoved, and dug his way through the wreckage and scrap. By the time he busted his way through the snare of metal, iron, and steel he felt like he had just wormed his way through a meat grinder.

Upon finally setting foot in the furnace room, the tower of debris gave way and tumbled to the ground, creating another smaller, more scattered heap of waste and scrap. He took a few breaths of what he was now certain was some kind of poison or toxic fumes and prepared to climb over and through obstacles again so he could go get Aqua.

Going though the meat grinder a second time was about as fun as going through it the first time but it was a bit less painful and didn't seem to take as long since he had successfully pushed most of it down upon breaking through initially.

Terra wretched his way though the door and gasped for air the instant he made contact with fresh air. He stumbled along the sand and collapsed against the siding of the tower.

"What happened?" Aqua asked as Terra slung his cowl off his mouth and leaned against the tower, running to him the instant she noticed how deadly pale he looked.

"They…had…the door…barricaded." He bowed over and tried to get air and hack the poison out of his lungs at the same time.

"Are you okay?" She placed a worried hand on his back. "You're really pale…"

"You…wouldn't happen…to have…a…panacea…on you…would you?" he panted and held his stomach while Aqua patted and rubbed his back. If he weren't on the verge of passing out, he would've been more appreciative of her concern and sympathy but his vision was blurring, he was seeing spots, and he felt _really_ nauseous.

"They…have…some kind of…poison down there…" he explained between gags and ragged breaths. "I don't think…I-I breathed too much…but…we may need them…later…" He spat onto the golden dust beneath his feet and tried to regain his fleeting equilibrium.

"I have a panacea and you are taking it _now_ ," she practically scolded.

Her hands left his back so she could reach into her pocket and pull out one of her panaceas. Again, life would be easier if she could just cast Esuna but life was cruel like that.

"No…we have to go back in…you may need it…more than I do…"

"No. I have plenty. I stocked up recently," Aqua insisted and handed him the tiny vial. "I'm magically handicapped, remember? I have to keep these things."

"Thanks." Terra decided not to argue with her anymore and tossed back the tangy substance before the poison got to him more.

"Do you think they put it down there for us?" Aqua glanced apprehensively at the door.

"I don't know… Maybe? It could just be in there to kill anyone who decides to trespass down there. Either way you should get ready to hold your breath. We will have to get out of that room before we can safely breathe again," he said as he cast a quick Curaga over himself to mend the wounds that would only be reopened once they crawled through the snare of earth and debris.

"I'll go through first and lead the way. If you have to breathe, try not to take big breaths." Terra put his cowl back over his mouth and slid through the entrance again.

The former Dark Knight wriggled through the tiny crack in the door and held his arm out for Aqua once he was through. She gave him her wrist and he helped her slide through the space. She went through much easier than he did.

A giant rock wall instantly greeted Aqua on the other side of the door. It was immediately behind the door and her nose grazed it once she squeezed through the tiny opening. Her back was pressed to the door as her eyes wandered over the wall. She noticed a Terra-sized hole in the barrier of earth and saw the area on the other side of the wall was dark and had an odd orange hue like that of a distance furnace. She couldn't help but think this area would be some kind of sick boiler room, but why would a prison in the _desert_ need a boiler room…?

Terra tugged at the wrist he held in his hand and moved her to the small tunnel he had made in the wall of earth. Aqua was glad he was an earth elemental and was able to manipulate some of the rock barrier with his magic.

The ex knight crawled through the gap first and Aqua followed closely. She burrowed her way through the tunnel and was very glad she wasn't claustrophobic because this tiny tunnel was a claustrophobic's worst nightmare. It was a very tight squeeze even though someone twice her size had created it.

Once she reached the end of Terra's manmade tunnel, she slipped forward and tumbled down a hazardous pile broken cell doors and bars. As her ivory skin was ruthlessly ripped apart by the metal bars and iron scraps, she wished Terra would have had the courtesy to warn her about the mountain of jutting metal on the other side.

Eventually the tumbling stopped and she finally collided with the concrete flooring of the prison. Her lungs burned, but not as much as her eyes did. They watered as the poison's fumes seeped into her eyes. Upon opening them she realized that they had turned this room, entrance, entryway, whatever it once was, into a landfill. This room was in fact a landfill _and_ a furnace. Garbage, wreckage, and dead bodies were _everywhere_. They had used anything and everything to barricade a barricade in case someone discovered the old entrance.

Aqua felt Terra's hands take hold of her forearms and carefully hauled her up out of the mesh of metal. The air in her lungs made a violent retreat as she gasped at the sight of a rotting dead body not two feet from her ankles.

Terra clamped her mouth shut with his hand from behind and tried to silently remind her that she didn't need to breathe and she definitely didn't need to hyperventilate.

The Light Keyblade wielder tried not to look, she really did but she couldn't stop herself. It was like they were in some level of the underworld. The glow she thought she saw beyond the barrier was in fact fire. Someone had set the bodies, the debris, the garbage, the landfill itself, on fire and it dully burned all around them. The furnace in the far corner of the room had obviously overflowed with bodies, metal, steel, iron, limbs, waste, and Light knew what else decades ago, so they had turned the room itself into the new furnace. The whole room was one big furnace!

Cinders dully simmered on the rubble beneath her feet and all around her. It was a slow, worn fire that slowly consumed everything in this room. Someone probably came in to poke and prod it every now and then to keep the fire under control. This building of stone, imprisonment, and death was literally sitting on top of some form of hell.

Terra pulled her through the heaps of scalding ashes and corpses by her wrist and tried his best to keep her from dwelling on the carnage and horrors around her, but he doubted he was doing a good job. This kind of thing wore heavy on her, it always did; it always had although she had accepted death as an inevitable part of life long ago.

They stumbled over the wreckage, the waste, the slippery, rotting, ash-covered bodies of infantrymen, guards, prisoners, and even knights until they reached the stairwell that led up into the main section of the prison.

The ex-knight already felt like he was about to pass out as he barreled into the huge metal door that blocked their advance. He summoned Earthshaker, pointed it at the door, and used it to unlock the door.

As he bolted through the door, Aqua fought the pang of jealousy and bitterness she felt when she witnessed his Keyblade prowess. She knew she was every bit as talented as he was if not more so but the Dark Rule had denied her of her true talent, her true potential. She hadn't even mastered the simple act of using her Keyblade to unlock almost any lock. It was supposed to be a base and simple concept but, like so many other things in her life, it was purposely and spitefully placed out of her reach.

Once Aqua was through, Terra slammed the door behind them and used his knowledge and familiarity with the prison to properly shut and lock the door back just the way they'd left it.

Gasping for breath, Terra slid down the door until he collapsed to his knees. He dropped Earthshaker and rested his pounding and swimming head against the hot steel of the door that led to the unholy, poisonous landfill.

"Are you…all right?" he wheezed as he held his eyes closed and gasped for breath.

"I think…I think so…" Aqua held her charred ribs as they adjusted to her lungs holding clean air once more. Her free hand rested on the wall nearest to her as she struggled to hold herself up right.

"What…what was all that?" she questioned between breaths.

"A sort of…prison…landfill… It's where they…attempt…to…dispose of _everything_."

"Why were…there infantrymen and knights...?"

"Aqua…" Terra replied softly, "the Dark Rule doesn't care…"

Aqua heard the pain in his voice. She saw the tension in his shoulders and she knew they had hurt him just like they had hurt everyone else. He knew what they were. He finally understood what they were. She could tell that he knew the pain that she had known for so long. They now shared different kinds of the same pain.

She knelt down beside him and pulled another panacea out of her pocket. "Here, take this."

His dark blue eyes reopened and glanced at the offering. "Thanks."

Aqua didn't know how much they had breathed in but she didn't want to risk it so she drank a panacea herself.

The instant the cool tingling liquid wriggled down Terra's throat he instantly felt better. The room stopped doing somersaults, he stopped feeling like he would puke, and breathing came easier.

"You're bleeding," he pointed out in a mocking tone, saying much by saying very little. She knew he was mocking her little rule and that he also wanted her to let him tend to her wounds.

"I know…" She wiped the blood that poured from her arms and hands and examined the burns on her ankles and calves.

"You'll be more useful to Kairi if you're healed," he chided.

Aqua hated how well he knew her. He knew what to say and what would cause her resolve to crack.

"I'll take a Hi-Potion." She reached into her pocket and searched for another vial. "You should save your magic for yourself and in case we need it later…"

"Fine," he grumbled tersely and cast Curaga on himself while Aqua drank one of her Hi-Potions.

"Okay. We're going to have to be quiet now. We aren't in the belly of the beast yet, but we will be soon. Kairi is almost in the upper tier where security is tighter." Terra explained as he slowly got back to his feet.

Aqua nodded. "Lead the way."

Terra adjusted his cowl and tried to hide as much of himself as possible before they walked out into the large antechamber that doubled as the prison's entryway.

Everything was dark, gloomy, murky and covered with tawny sand. All the bricks were the same dingy burnt sienna color. The only light inside this tower was the occasional lantern that emitted an eerie tawny glow. Aqua supposed she should be glad that everything was so dark. It gave them plenty shadows to hide in, and that was exactly what they did. The duo traveled in the shadows and lurked in any and all nooks and crannies the aged prison offered. They frequently tugged each other into corners when they heard guards or strange noises. Terra would often compressed Aqua into nearby walls with his body, protectively shielding her from anyone that might see them.

If the situation weren't so dire and perilous, Aqua would have been embarrassed to admit that she was a bit too responsive. She would instantly mold to him and bury her face in his chest. They never spoke but they had an odd way of understanding one another and effectively communicating.

It seemed like the tower's spiraling stairwells of guards and lower ranking Dark Knights went on forever. Aqua was sure she had never climbed so many stairs in her life. The higher they got, the more intense her vertigo became. The tight coiling of the seemingly never-ending stairwell on top of her recent poisoning was making her feel ill, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She was so close…

Some prisoners whooped and hollered while others chanted or spoke in strange tongues. So many sounded insane or on the brink of insanity and it made Aqua nervous. What of Kairi…of Sora…Yen Sid and Eraqus…were they like this too? The people who screamed and rambled about nothing were _her_ people. People that had once been like her, people who had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time or were trying to protect someone they loved. Terra had told her that Kairi was okay…but he didn't say she was sane.

As her mind wandered, she rammed into Terra's broad back. He had stopped dead in his tracks as if he'd heard something. Apprehensively, she reached for his arm and melded into his side. She took hold of the metal that covered his forearm, her cool fingers gripping the bronze, steel-plated covering and curling against the warm skin on the underside of his arm.

" _They will be here any day now. I want Kairi moved to Nalbina Dungeon tomorrow morning and I want extra security around her current cell tonight,"_ a smooth, velvety yet masculine voice demanded sternly.

" _Yes, Marluxia. I will have Demyx and Roxas transfer her first thing in the morning. I will see to it personally,"_ a second raspy and croaky voice barked.

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" Terra turned around and grabbed Aqua by her shoulders, pushing her off the stairwell and into a nearby corner between two cells. He possessively planted his hands to the wall on each side of her face, pressing his body to hers as he turned himself into a form of human encasement around her.

"Shh…" Terra's hushed tone was a bit shaky. " _Marluxia…"_

Aqua's heart dropped to the dusty floor. One of her hands covered her already covered mouth while the other gripped the cloth that covered Terra's chest, searching for some kind of comfort or assurance.

_"What about Sora, Yen Sid, and Eraqus? Should we transfer them somewhere else as well?"_ Terra heard General Borghen squawk and he knew Aqua could hear him angrily clawing at the dry, corroded walling by her ears.

_"No. They will come for_ **Kairi** _._ _Understand? Or do I need to repeat myself?_ **Again** _."_

_"No. No. Marluxia, I was just –"_

_"Do not question me again."_

Terra recognized Marluxia's tone. The seer was not in a good mood, which probably meant something wasn't going his way. Or maybe Terra was just hoping something wasn't going his way…

The footsteps retreated but Terra wasn't sure which direction they'd taken. He would have to go out and check. He couldn't risk Aqua's safety by guessing. He had to be sure.

"Wait here," the Dark Keyblade Master whispered into Aqua's ear and tried to pry her stubborn hand off of his clothing.

"No…" Aqua closed her eyes and shook her head feverishly. Something about Marluxia's voice put her into a panic. It felt like they had already been captured, like they had already failed and for some reason, she wanted her prickly, uncomfortable security blanket to stay with her and not run off. If he got caught, she wouldn't be able to navigate this prison by herself and she would get caught too, which meant she wouldn't be able to save Kairi.

"Hey. Look at me." He took her face in his hands and her eyes timidly reopened to glance in his direction but not directly at him. "I'll be right back. I have to check. Okay?"

"O-okay." Reluctantly, Aqua released the death grip she had on Terra's shirt.

Terra stroked her cheeks with his thumbs although he doubted she could feel it though the thick ebony fabric of the cowl but he did it anyway before he walked out into the dismal lighting of the prison.

His royal blue eyes darted up and down the stairwell but they couldn't locate the two men they searched for. However, his ears could hear their distant voices. He was pretty sure they were talking about tightening security around Sora, Yen Sid, and Eraqus's cells too but he wasn't entirely sure. The voices were too far away.

He disappeared back into the shadows and descended the stairs, hoping to find Marluxia and Borghen along the winding path below instead of above where he and Aqua needed to tread.

He waited and listened intently for a long time and cursed under his breath when he didn't hear voices or footsteps below. They had journeyed upward, probably back to the warden's office in the highest tier.

As quietly as possible, he ran back to the corner he'd left Aqua in and her hands instantly took hold of the fabric that covered his chest as if she were trying to ensure that he was real, that he had come back for her and that he was not some illusion put up by the seers.

"They went upstairs. We'll have to be careful. They probably went to the warden's office on the top floor but they may be prepping Kairi for transfer or putting more security around her cell," he whispered, instantly motioning for them to get moving again.

They climbed and climbed and Aqua just knew she was on the verge of a nosebleed. Now that she thought about it, her nose could already be bleeding but before she could check, Terra made a quick turn off the stairwell and into the passage of cells nearby.

"What are you –" Bewildered, Aqua watched Terra manipulate one of the cell's doors. He picked at the lock and managed to open the towering door of intimidating, rusted metal.

Before she could say anything else, he held his hand out for her, silently telling her to come into this cell with him.

"I don't understand. You said Kairi was almost on the top floor…" Aqua tried to process what was happening, looking up the stairwell for emphasis.

"She is," Terra replied flatly. "But we aren't going there yet."

Without another word, the ex-knight busted into the cell and Aqua quickly scurried in after him. She was nervous about going into an unknown cell but she was more nervous about staying outside it where all the guards and possibly Marluxia wandered.

_"Who's there?"_ a dry, gravely voice resonated in the space in front of them but it was too dark for Aqua to see anything.

Terra carefully shut the door behind them and removed his cowl as he turned to face the voice.

_"Terra?"_ the voice called again, its timbre tickling at Aqua's memories and tugging at her heartstrings. " _What are you doing here? They said you deserted, that you went mad. I was sure they had killed you by now. Why are you…?"_

The moonlight that shone through the small window of bars at the top of the wall behind the being on the floor provided some light and Aqua's baby blue eyes began adjusting to the blackness. Moonlight trickled in through the holes in the tower's crumbling structure and she could finally see that the individual the voice belonged to was sitting on the floor behind a set of narrow bars that separated him from the antechamber she and Terra stood in.

Silently, Terra walked to the bars of the cell and pointed Earthshaker at the lock. It took him a while to pick it, but he still managed to do so and once he did, he opened the door.

Aqua's baby blue eyes slowly adjusted to the fierce gloom around them, darting back and forth between Terra and the man on the floor as she tried to figure out why Terra felt the need to bring her here. She squinted and did her best to see the man who rested in the farthest corner of the cell and bit-by-bit, she was able to see the weary features of the man hidden behind long, black hair and a messy, unkempt beard.

"Master…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> So we've finally gotten into the prison! Next time we'll for sure get to Kairi, Sora, Yen Sid, Eraqus etc., etc., etc. I know I said that we would last time but I'm a terrible judge of the pacing in my own stories. Things always end up longer than anticipated and I try to put limits on how long each of my chapters are so I don't always get as far along as I want, so I apologize for accidentally lying to you last time!
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	36. The Beautiful Letdown

"E-Excuse me?" Eraqus inquired hoarsely. It had been _so_ long since anyone called him Master he thought he was imagining it.

"Master Eraqus…"

The young woman yanked the hood off her head and the cowl off her face and tears swelled in Eraqus's silvery eyes instantly.

It was _her_ , his eldest female student, the girl with ice in her features but warm, blazing sunshine in her smiles.

"Aqua!" he cried as she embraced him, her tears streaming down her cheeks and smearing onto his unclean neck.

Aqua, his precious Aqua, the little girl who had convinced him to give being a master another shot, the little girl who had persuaded him to take in more students despite the pain of losing so many to the war, to the Purge, and to the Dark Rule. The first, but certainly not the last, who had helped revive his hope.

He could hug her now without fearing he would break her tiny, emaciated body in two. She no longer teetered on the edge of death as she had when he first found her…

_Thunder rumbled and crashed as Eraqus unmindfully strolled through some dying, neutral town he'd already forgotten the name of. He walked down an alleyway of barren boxes, overflowing trashcans, and debris. Hearing shuffling and tiny whispers nearby, he drew his Keyblade and turned to address the noise or the intruder._

_Garbage cans shuffled further down the alley and he slowly approached them. He thought it a cat or moogle until he saw a flicker of blue and white._

_A little_ **girl** _was hiding by the trashcan..._

_Her narrow back was facing him as she held her hunched and curled position on the mucky sidewalk. Dirty hair of sapphire was glued to her grimy skin and almost pooled on the drenched, filthy asphalt beneath her. Her pale, porcelain skin was unnaturally pale, covered in bruises, dried blood, and mud._

_Orphaned. Maybe dead... She didn't move and it didn't look like she was breathing. He instantly assumed the rustling he heard was the rats digging into her corpse and pulling out her entrails, hollowing the poor orphan out._

_Eraqus knelt down by the garbage cans and the girl jerked causing him to do the same._

_Two of the brightest cobalt orbs he had ever seen peered over a bony shoulder and stared him down. They were full of fear and distrust. Her cheeks were hollow, her cheekbones threatening to puncture through her frail, discolored skin. She looked like a skeleton, a living skeleton._

_Before Master Eraqus could speak to her and tell her not to be frightened, a second head popped up and peered over the blue girl's shoulder at him. A small redhead with color still in her cheeks was hidden_ **underneath** _the blue girl._

_Upon seeing the second, younger girl, he instantly understood. The older girl was shielding the redhead from the rain with her body. She had turned herself into a form of shelter for the younger child. The little girl with ruby locks was crouching under her larger form as they possessively clung to one another. The blue girl was clearly protective of the redhead and was giving her, her rations as well by the look of it. The redhead was much better off than the sapphire girl._

_The eldest was sustaining the youngest. In all his years, he had never seen anything like it. Never had he seen a sibling give so much to another. The child with icy features gave the other life, her own life, a willing host to an unknowing parasite, sacrificing herself to sustain her sibling._

Little did Eraqus know then that years later Aqua would continue to guard her younger sister in such a manner by offering herself to the Dark Overlords themselves to save her, willingly taking the blunt of the punishment for her so she would be spared. Aqua had _always_ put Kairi's wellbeing above her own, no matter what it did to her, selflessly and willingly pushing herself to the point of starvation and death for her sister, giving herself to the elements and even to the Overlords to shield her from harm.

Aqua had been so young to understand something so selfless that he found it hard to believe. She hadn't seemed real. How could one so young be so selfless? She stayed in the rain so her sister could take shelter underneath her in a cold, dark alley. She gave Kairi her food so she wouldn't starve or get sick, but starved herself to the point of becoming ill herself…

" _Aqua… You have to try to eat something," Eraqus chided from his side of the table._

" _I don't want to," the small, emaciated girl whispered as she scrunched her nose up and pushed the bowl of soup away._

_She didn't trust him. He wasn't even sure if she liked him. She was aloof and stand offish most of the time. She was so unlike her sister Kairi. Kairi had warmed up to him within in a few short days, but Aqua was still very cold._

" _Aqua…please," he practically begged. She would die if she didn't eat._

" _I'll get sick if I eat. I always get sick if I eat," Aqua argued softly with a shake of her head._

_Master Eraqus was at a loss for words because she spoke the truth. She had gone without eating anything substantial for so long that her body rejected anything that gave her nourishment. It would come right back up._

" _Then just take a few bites?" he bargained. "You don't have to eat all of it, just some of it."_

_Baby steps. Her regaining the ability to eat would come slowly like her ability to trust, and to love. She would get there, but it would take time. It was her nature, not her true nature, but the nature the Dark Rule had drilled into her and forced onto her. It was a defense mechanism she clung to like a lifeline because she was convinced it would save her from those that would take advantage of her trust or harm her in any way._

Even then, Eraqus had known that once Aqua opened up, she would have a beautiful heart inside and once she allowed herself to love, she would love wholeheartedly and selflessly and she had. Once the walls came down, once the ice melted away, once the fear and distrust dispersed, he knew she loved him much as she had loved her own parents.

Master Eraqus's dry, cracked heart swelled as he held her. He felt such happiness and joy in that moment that he had actually forgotten where he was but once he remembered, his carefree yet haphazard reminisce and contentment shattered.

"Aqua…" He squeezed her tighter, feeling her silent sobs against his shoulder. "I'm so happy to see you and I'm so glad you are here…but something tells me that you didn't come here just to see me…"

Aqua reluctantly pulled away and wiped her tears. "No, sir."

"You've come for Kairi," he stated matter-of-factly.

She nodded.

His eyes shot back to the young man waiting near his cell's entrance. "And…Terra is helping you?"

She gave another nod

"Then you two should go. They check on me frequently and you'll get nowhere if they catch you in here with me," Eraqus mused and rose to his shaky feet.

"You're coming too," Aqua insisted as she helped him to his feet.

"No. I will only slow you down. I am emaciated and weak. I am filled to the gills with drugs that keep me sedated, sluggish, and worthless." Eraqus shook his head.

He knew she could see how disconnected he was, how delayed, constantly on the brink of zoning in and out, how one moment he was there with them then the next he would be miles away inside the snare that was now his mind.

Eraqus was ashamed to be seen this way, all frail and weak and completely unlike how she remembered him. He was supposed to be strong, all strength and perseverance, not disoriented and on the brink of starvation.

"How could he do this to you…" Aqua's fists balled at her sides as she regarded his pitiful state, his bruises, his broken bones, the dried blood caked upon his skin. "You had the same master! You were… You were like his _brother!_ "

"Xehanort's lust for power and Darkness outweighed the love and respect he had for me and our Master… The Overlord… I do not know that man. That man isn't the man I once regarded as my older brother. He hasn't been my brother since our master died and named me successor instead of him… Shortly after that, the war hit and we fought on different sides…" Eraqus raved and Aqua was suddenly embracing him again.

He held her like that for a long time, practically rocking her like a babe. It was a sight that was enough to make anyone wonder how old Aqua actually was. The way she melded into and clung to him would remind anyone of a child.

"Aqua," Master Eraqus finally pried Aqua off his chest and wiped her subtle tears away. "You cannot stay here. You need to go with Terra and find Kairi before they notice you're here."

"But, Master, what about you?" she hesitated.

"I'll be fine. Find Kairi first. She shouldn't have _ever_ been brought here in the first place. I can wait. My guilt is different from hers. Kairi is innocent and if anyone should be delivered from this place, it's her."

"But, Master, you're innocent too!" Aqua argued.

"Yes, but not the way she is and you know that. That's why you're here and it's what I want you to do. Trust me, I can wait," Eraqus reiterated as he placed his sturdy hands on her shoulders.

"Someone is coming," Terra announced as he peered through the gap in the door.

"I'll come back for you," Aqua promised, giving his hands a quick squeeze before she rushed to the door.

"I'll be here." He smiled. "Take care of each other."

Without warning, the ex-knight quickly shut the door to the cell and forced Aqua to the ground. She squeaked as he covered her mouth and hid them beneath the rectangular peephole in the door. Heavy footsteps resonated outside the door and metal could be heard shrieking over their thundering heartbeats as the guard pulled back the latch of the peephole to gaze in at Eraqus.

The guard stood outside the door for a moment, watching as Eraqus made his way back to his corner before shutting the latch and disappearing into another wing of the prison.

Once the guard was gone, Terra bobbed his head, motioning for Aqua to exit and reenter the corridor of cells and stairwells. She did as she was instructed but not before she giving Master Eraqus one more glance.

And just like that, she was gone and he was alone again but he noticed something was off about the door to this cell. The ex-knight… Terra had left his door slightly ajar. It was a small opening and no one would notice unless they were paying close attention and Terra likely knew for a fact that most of the personnel wouldn't notice for a while.

It was an invitation. Terra was giving him another chance to come with them or aid them, perhaps some variation of both. Eraqus seriously doubted he could ever get out of here with all of them but he did have an idea of how he could help them. He just prayed he had the strength to do it. 

* * *

Aqua was sure that this was the tallest tower in the world. She had never climbed so many stairs or ascended so many floors in her life but she kept reminding herself why she was doing it and that she would do it a million times over for her sister.

"This is her floor," Terra whispered as he turned to venture off the stairwell and into the circular corridor that surrounded it.

As they closed in on Kairi's cell, he could hear jingling keys and low grumbling nearby.

"Fuck," he hissed.

Terra's mind began to race and his eyes darted around the space around them as he tried to think of what he needed to do but he didn't have time to process anything. It was all happening too fast. Even if they did turn around, they would still be spotted. Not to mention he didn't have time to explain anything to Aqua either, so he just gripped her arm and hoped she could get the message that they were about to be spotted.

Sensing Terra's unease Aqua's muscles tensed and she prepared to conjure or summon Rainfell if necessary.

Terra took an offensive stance just as Dr. Lugae lurched out of Kairi's cell, his bag of _medications_ in one hand and his huge ring of countless keys in the other. His glasses were falling off of his long nose as he fumbled around with his keys and tried to lock the door behind him.

Aqua instantly noticed this man was visually impaired and with the prison so poorly lit she saw an opportunity to strike.

Before the doctor could adjust his glasses and spot them, Aqua shot the keys from his hand with a sliver of ice and proceeded to freeze him to the nearest wall.

Following Aqua's lead, Terra lunged at Lugae and grabbed him by his blindingly white collar. He then used his free hand to cover his bearded mouth so he couldn't squawk for help.

Dr. Lugae's beady eyes widened as they tried to take in the individuals assaulting him and narrowed when they recognized the eyes of midnight blue scowling at him behind a cowl of black.

"Hi, Lugae," Terra growled but a smirk was plastered to his face underneath his cowl. "What are you doing out this late? I always thought you were too lazy to work the graveyard shift."

Luage mumbled something against Terra's hand but he wasn't ready to hear him speak yet.

"Before I let go of your vile mouth, I want you to know that if you scream or call of help, I will fuse your lips together with Firaga so fast it'll make your frizzy head spin," Terra hissed and his threat and menacing tone made Aqua's blood turn cold.

"Or I could just rip your tongue out and feed it back to you. Either way, you won't _ever_ be talking again so choose your next words wisely because they might be your last," he added as he glared down at the demented doctor. "Understand?"

Dr. Lugae unhurriedly nodded, silently returning Terra's glare.

Reluctantly, the former Dark Knight slipped his hand off Lugae's mouth.

"What are you doing here this late?" Terra asked again.

"Marluxia demanded Kairi get her treatments tonight before her transfer early tomorrow morning since she won't be able to receive treatment again for a while," Dr. Lugae rasped and wiggled his crooked nose, trying to adjust his disheveled glasses without his hands.

"Treatment…" Aqua breathed as all the blood drained from her face. "Terra, what's he talking about?"

Terra glanced over his shoulder at Aqua but didn't answer her. Instead, he cast his gaze back to Lugae and seriously considered killing him. He saw no other use for him. He had royally fucked things up and if Terra bumped into Roxas, he might kill him too for letting Lugae _treat_ Kairi.

This was bad. If Kairi had received her _medication_ that meant she might not respond well to seeing Aqua again, which could make convincing her to with them leave _a lot_ harder. Not to mention it would also raise a bunch of unpleasant questions Terra wouldn't want to answer but would have to.

Aqua didn't like the look in Terra's eyes. They were grim and dangerous. There was always an air of malevolence to Terra but something about the way he looked now made her uneasy. He was contemplating something and she could tell that nothing good was swimming around inside that twisted head of his. He looked like he was one thought away from doing something horrible to someone, probably this man.

"Terra…" Aqua apprehensively and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let him go. I can cast Silence on him and he is frozen to the wall. We don't have to do anything drastic…"

Terra gritted his teeth and snarled.

That was easy for her to say. She didn't know what he had been doing in there. She didn't know what he had done to _her_ sister. Aqua wanted to spare a monster but if it weren't for her compassion for monsters, he wouldn't be here now…

Slowly, Aqua could see Terra regaining his senses. The rabid, bloodthirsty animal in him began to melt away and she could see him again.

Aqua released a breath when she could see the man in Terra instead of the cold-blooded killer. She had managed to reach him.

"Silence him," Terra grumbled, letting go of Lugae's collar.

Aqua took a step toward the man in the lab coat and he shamelessly sneered at her. He could sense her Light as he saw her bright eyes shining beneath her hood and cowl.

"Thank you for saving my life, my dear," he heckled and Aqua could see the jagged fangs in his mouth.

Aqua heard a growl reverberate in Terra's throat as he took a step toward them but she held up her hand to halt his advance. She shook her head and he relented.

"My, my! The oaf _can_ take instruction! Who would have ever thought it would take someone so insignificant to tame our wild, ravenous Captain!" Dr. Lugae chortled.

"Silence him," Terra repeated, having clearly had enough of the ungainly doctor.

"That means, you must be Aqua," he mused. "We've been expecting you."

She'd heard enough and she waved her hand over his fuzzy, gray head. A thin, almost translucent veil wound around his cranium before it crawled into his mouth and slithered up into his flared nostrils. The man coughed a few times before he finally turned completely mute.

"We can go now. I don't know how long it'll last so we'll have to hurry," she said once she was sure the spell had taken root in his mouth, throat, and lungs.

"You should've just let me kill him," Terra scoffed as he opened the door to Kairi's cell.

"It wasn't necessary. There's enough death in the world without you contributing to it."

_Sure. You say that now, but just wait until you see what he's been doing to your sister…_ he argued mentally.

Terra decided to drop the matter. What was behind this door was more important than this petty argument over his regard for life…or the lack there of.

He pushed at the door and he could already see Kairi's crumpled form in the corner as it gradually opened.

"Is… Is this it?" Aqua asked timidly as Terra held the door open for her.

The ex-knight nodded.

The Light Keyblade wielder swallowed hard and entered the cell.

Time froze and Aqua's feet moved of their own volition. She was _finally_ in the cell that contained her sister, the sibling she hadn't seen in a year, the sibling she had failed…

The bleak chamber was almost completely black save for a few paper flowers scattered around the room, most of which were blue. The paper flowers hung from the grungy walls and seemed to grow from between the cracks in the gloomy floor. If Aqua didn't know any better she would think some of them were real. It was like the entire cell was turned into some form of garden or meadow and it was almost… _familiar._

Her eyes scanned over the paper moon to the west and faux sun to the east, the vines that slithered along the walls, and the flowers that seemed to spring from the floor and even the grainy walls until her eyes settled on a form in the far corner of the cell.

Deathly pale hands and legs were the brightest part of the individual in the corner and possibly even the brightest part of the entire cell. The skin that covered the being's exposed limbs and appendages gave forth an unnatural, unhealthy glow that made Aqua's skin crawl. The black dress that covered her huddled body looked to be about a size too small although it seemed to be hanging off her decrepit physique.

Instinctively, Aqua slowly walked closer to the broken down girl in the corner and the closer she got, the worse this girl looked. Blood, both old and new, marred the sickly flesh of her hands. Bruises were plastered to her legs and Aqua couldn't see a piece of skin that wasn't either coated in grime, blood, or bruises.

A hood shielded her face from her but Aqua could see the long river of crimson red gushing out from under the blackened hood.

This poor girl…was her sister.

Murmurs and unintelligible statements vibrated off the walls and bounced off their forms. Sadly, Terra knew the sound of Kairi's ravings all too well and he could already tell this wasn't a good day for her. Light knew what Lugae had just done to her or had done to her. He instantly felt guilty for leaving but if he hadn't, Aqua wouldn't be here for her now, and Kairi needed Aqua more than she needed him. He hoped that ultimately he had made the right choice and had done the best thing for both of them.

"K-Kairi?" Aqua whispered. Slowly, she removed her hood and cowl and knelt down beside the bony, emaciated girl who was staring blankly at the wall next to her.

Kairi let out a yelp and backed further into her corner like a frightened animal.

"Kairi! No, it's okay it's me!" Aqua tried to reassure her but it only caused Kairi to panic more.

"No! N-No! No! Stay a-away! D-Don't hurt…m-me!"

"Kairi…it's me. It's Aqua. I'm not going to hurt you…" Aqua automatically reached for her but Kairi screamed and tried to crawl through the wall her back was against.

Kairi clawed at the wall until her fingernails bowed and some of them broke off the cuticle completely. Aqua could hear her nails snap and see the blood covering her already bloody hands and even the wall she was trying to dig through in order to reach the safety she thought rested on the other side.

"W-Witch…it's…a witch…!" the redhead wailed.

Kairi looked like a rat trying to scurry up a wall it had been cornered into. Too stupid and too afraid to realize it was trapped and the wall wouldn't go anywhere.

"Light-damn it!" Terra hissed and approached them. All this screaming was going to get all of them caught.

"Kairi. Listen to me. It's Aqua, your sister. I've come to take you home." Aqua desperately and helplessly held her arms out for her sibling, tears swelling in her eyes.

Kairi stopped screaming. Her chest heaved with genuine fear as she timidly stared over her shoulder at the young woman offering her an inviting, comforting embrace.

A smile consumed Aqua's tear streaked features when Kairi leapt to her feet and rushed toward her, but her smile quickly fell when Kairi ran past her and crashed into Terra.

"Terra!" Kairi wrapped her arms around the ex-knight and buried her face in his abdomen.

Terra could practically hear Aqua's jaw smashing onto the floor.

Not knowing what else to do, Terra shrugged and Aqua just stared at him, mouth and eyes gape as if he had betrayed her, as if he had just shoved his Keyblade straight through her heart.

"It's a long story… I-I can explain…" He grimaced at the cruelty of this. Kairi had literally ran into the arms of the former enemy, the man who helped bring her here, instead of into the arms of her sister.

Aqua's heart had plummeted to the floor with her jaw. Why did Kairi want Terra and not her…?

"W-What's wrong with her?" Aqua's quivering voice demanded as her tear filled eyes helplessly watched a frightened Kairi tremble against Terra.

"They have been re-educating her, cleansing her mind. Basically restructuring her from the inside out. The idea was to make a blank slate. Remove the ' _corruption'_ from her brain and replace it with more ' _honorable'_ morals and intentions. In other words, surgically and medically turn a Child of Light into a Servant of Darkness, and once they are deemed worthy of being a model citizen, they are released back into the world." Terra patted Kairi's head and stroked her shoulders, trying to give her the comfort he knew Aqua wanted to give her but couldn't.

"So my sister… Kairi isn't Kairi anymore…" Aqua couldn't fight the tears anymore and she covered her face, sobbing into one of her hands.

Her trembling legs finally gave. She couldn't bear the overbearing strain and anguish anymore. Aqua completely collapsed onto the rugged flooring, crushing a few of Kairi's paper flowers underneath her as she fell.

"She's just confused. She's the guinea pig and last time I checked, they had only mastered half of this process. They could erase her memories and morals, they could make her a blank slate, but she wouldn't stay that way for long. They couldn't restructure her the way they wanted. Her memories would always come back and the constant poking and prodding has taken its toll…as you can see…" Terra glanced down at the redhead that clung to him and watched her eye Aqua suspiciously. Kairi was clearly wondering why the blue girl was so sad and Terra could see the faded compassion in her blackened eyes.

"I can explain more later but we should get out of here… _now_."

Aqua didn't answer or give Terra any form of acknowledgement. She bit back the tears and simply watched her sister from afar, from her crumpled, pathetic position on her cell floor, watching Kairi look at her like she was a stranger, a _dangerous_ stranger.

Aqua couldn't remember the last time she 'd felt this hurt. She felt like she was going to get sick. It felt like all of her organs wanted to spew from her mouth. It felt like her own body was rejecting itself and all her blood, her organs, and even her bones wanted to leave her body.

Her sister, her flesh and blood didn't know who she was. The Dark Rule had turned her sister into a guinea pig, a child. Not only had they taken her from her physically, they had taken her from her emotionally.

"Kairi…" As Terra looked down at the redhead, he noticed her blue eyes were worse than they had been when he left. Everything was a bit worse than when he left but still not as bad as they used to be. Roxas had apparently kept his word and Terra might not have to kill him after all.

"We're going to go on a trip," he continued. He could hear Aqua sniffling and stumbling back to her feet as she slowly regained her strength and composure.

"To Sora?" the redhead inquired as she began mercilessly scratching her butchered arms.

"No. We're going to take you…home?" he glanced back at Aqua who solemnly nodded for him to continue his tale even though both of them knew they couldn't go _home._

"No." Kairi shook her head. "I-I'm supposed to stay here…until the Masters tell me I-I can leave. T-The witch…"

Terra took hold of her shoulders. "Do you remember what I told you before I left?"

Kairi grumbled something he couldn't understand under her breath.

"Terra-" Aqua approached them "-I hear voices…"

"Shit." Terra glanced back at the door before looking back at Kairi. "Answer me, Kairi. Focus. What did I tell you?"

"That there's no White Witch?" she questioned, far from certain.

"Yes. What else?"

"Terra," Aqua whimpered as the voices and footsteps drew closer.

"I have a sister named…Aqua…" Kairi looked at the blue girl who smiled warmly at her although tears still stained her cheeks and her eyelashes were still damp from caressing teardrops.

"Right. _This_ is your sister." Terra placed a hand on Aqua's shoulder. "We're here to help you and you need to come with us. Okay?"

Terra was getting twitchy, nervous, and impatient. They were about to get caught in here but he knew Kairi would panic and have another fit if she thought she was doing something she shouldn't. It was what they had programmed her to do, what he had helped them program her to do, especially with matters regarding Aqua. They did it to keep this very future from transpiring, meaning Terra could have sabotaged himself months ago…

Kairi nodded and took hold of Terra's hand as she gave him silent consent, assuring him that she trusted him but her eyes didn't leave Aqua.

Without another word and before Kairi could change her mind or succumb to another fit, Terra hauled Kairi out into the hall and noticed that Dr. Lugae was long gone.

"Shit," he grumbled.

Apparently, the guards hadn't noticed the frozen Dr. Lugae and ventured to another area of the prison instead. However, it looked like Lugae had made a break for it before the guards came, which could either be a really good or really bad thing.

After the door to Kairi's cell was closed, Aqua followed closely behind Terra, ushering Kairi forward gently by pushing at the small of her skeletal back as they listened for the guards they'd heard within Kairi's cell.

"We may need to carry her," Aqua whispered as she noticed how skinny and sickly Kairi looked _and_ felt.

Terra nodded, his movements jerky and nervous.

"Kairi?" Aqua sounded so calm and serene Terra couldn't even see how upset he knew she was. It amazed him how she could turn her own feelings off and on for her sister's sake.

Timidly, Kairi peeked out from behind Terra's form at Aqua.

"Do you think you could climb on Terra's back and let him carry you?" Aqua asked softly and gently as to not frighten her. She wanted to carry her herself but she couldn't risk scaring her again and, as much as she hated to admit it, Kairi was more comfortable with Terra than she was with her at that moment.

Kairi bobbed her head and shyly moved away from Terra.

"Hurry up," Terra complained as he crouched down so Aqua could help Kairi climb onto this back.

The instant he felt Kairi wrap her frail arms around his neck, he stood and secured her legs around his waist by the back of her knees. Once she was secure, he began sprinting down the stairs towards Eraqus's cell, away from the hoards of guards that he was sure were making their way to Kairi's cell.

When the trio reached Master Eraqus's chamber, he was no longer inside.

"Did they come get him?" Aqua gasped, her voice laced thick with panic and fear.

"No. I left the door open so he could get out if he changed his mind about coming with us."

"But…why?" Aqua was sure she would never understand Terra.

"To do whatever he thought needed to be done. He's a smart man. I trust his judgment." Terra shrugged.

"We should try to find him…"

"He probably went for the entrance."

"I want Sora…" Kairi stated, squeezing Terra's neck so tightly he could hardly breathe.

"Sora is the only thing she remembers from… _before_ ," Terra explained in response to Aqua's perplexed expression. "He is her only constant."

The ex-knight's words struck a chord in her. Aqua knew very well what it was like to be in a strange, cruel place and how comforting and good it felt to have a constant, someone you could count on no matter how bad things got…

"I know, Kairi…but we may not have time to get him…and even if we did, we don't have any way of getting all four of us out of here…" Aqua rubbed Kairi's back and matted hair. "I'm sorry."

Another small group of guards on patrol passed the entrance to Eraqus's cell and once they their footsteps could be heard on the next tier, Terra darted back into the heart of the prison.

"Are we going out the way we came in?" Aqua panted as they ran down the countless flights of stairs.

"Depends," Terra replied. "How many Panaceas do you have left?"

Before Aqua could answer Terra had stopped so abruptly that it caused Kairi to squeal and almost fall off his back.

Startled, Aqua followed Terra's coarse gaze to the foot of the steps where the endless spiraling stairwell ceased and the prison's large entryway began. Waiting at the bottom of the stairwell was a very composed Marluxia flanked by two Dark Knights, Demyx and Roxas.

They were caught.

"Well, what do you know?" Demyx sneered. "The Captain is back from the dead!"

Terra merely glowered in response and instinctively took a step in front of Aqua.

"How did I know that you weren't dead?" Marluxia scoffed.

Demyx looked amused, Roxas looked concerned, but Marluxia… Marluxia looked _furious._

Terra's eyes darted around the room as he desperately tried to figure a way out of this mess but he was getting nowhere fast.

"Sora!" Kairi cried excitedly over her shoulder.

"What?" Aqua turned around to see Sora, Master Yen Sid, and Master Eraqus standing behind them, glaring daggers at the Seer Sage and the two knights at his sides.

"You _son of a bitch_ ," Marluxia hissed but somehow managed to keep his signature cool velvety tone. "You let them out." He summoned the largest scythe Aqua had ever seen and pointed it contemptibly at the rogue knight. Glowing, otherworldly rose petals fluttered off the unsheathed weapon and lazily floated to his feet where they magically dispersed.

"No. I only let _one_ of them out," Terra taunted. "Seems like you miscalculated, Marluxia."

Marluxia didn't answer but Terra could instantly feel his invisible scythe digging into the back of his skull as the physical one was pointed at him.

Maybe this was the wrong time to be taunting an already pissed off seer. Terra knew Marluxia was livid and meant business when he called forth that damned scythe. He rarely used that thing but when he did, it never ended well. It took _a lot_ to drive Marluxia to that level of rage…

Terra gingerly slid Kairi off his back and motioned for her to go to Sora. "Stay with Spunky, alright?"

"Take care of her…" Aqua whispered once Kairi reached Sora.

The brown-hair boy nodded although he didn't like the way Aqua and Terra were acting as though he would soon be Kairi's only caretaker.

The ex-knight turned to face the Seer Sage again and summoned Earthshaker. Aqua called forth Rainfell and she sensed that even Yen Sid and Eraqus were going into defensive stances.

"Roxas. Demyx." Marluxia nonchalantly bobbed his head in the duo's direction.

The knights charged and their opponents braced themselves for the struggle, but before they reached them, Roxas had pivoted and struck Demyx upside the head with one of his Keyblades and hurled the second at Marluxia's chest.

Before the Seer Sage had the chance to recover from the blow, Aqua began shooting everything she had at him. She conjured Blizzaga to consume his feet, Firaga at his hands, and Thundaga at his head, but Marluxia was fast and used his massive weapon to block their attacks.

Following Aqua's lead, Terra and Eraqus confronted the Seer physically while Roxas and Yen Sid held off Demyx and his water based attacks.

"Roxas!" Terra cried as he used Earthshaker to block Marluxia's _physical_ scythe that threatened to decapitate him.

It had been _years_ since Terra had seen Marluxia put up a physical fight and he had almost forgotten what the seer's weapon even looked like. He had also forgotten how fucking fast and strong he was.

"Go!" Roxas shouted over the chaos unfolding around them. "Marluxia is stalling! If you stay here and fight, you'll get captured! They _know_ , Terra!"

Terra reeled at Roxas's words and his carelessness caused his chest to get scraped open by the tip of Marluxia's scythe. Marluxia was definitely faster than he was…that or the headache the Seer Sage was causing was slowing him down…maybe both.

"Are you sure?" Terra bellowed and did his best to resist the unnatural migraine Marluxia was causing.

The infringement became too much and Terra suddenly couldn't see straight anymore but he could sense Eraqus barely holding off the seer and his monstrous scythe with his _bare hands._ Terra had never seen an inmate on prison drugs move so quickly or efficiently. If he had time to be impressed, he would have been.

"Positive! You won't win!" Roxas howled, chopping through the water Demyx shot at him.

Demyx was excellent at keeping opponents at long-range. He had called forth demons of water to keep the befuddled Yen Sid busy while he used his direct water attacks to keep Roxas at bay. Demyx wasn't really at the end of anyone's joke anymore, especially not now.

"But what about you?" Aqua cried as alternated between shooting anything and everything she had at Marluxia and trying to help Roxas get to Demyx. She wanted to use her Keyblade but everyone else seemed to be taking the physical approach and it wasn't going too well so she figured she might be more helpful if she continued to use magic instead.

"Don't worry about me! You guys are the ones they're worried about! They are afraid of you! And if you get caught here, it's over!"

The moment Roxas finished yelling, Marluxia's telepathy pierced the skulls of Terra, Eraqus, and Roxas. If Aqua, Yen Sid, and Demyx had been closer they would have fallen to their knees as well.

Marluxia barreled past the stunned Terra and Master Eraqus and knocked Roxas into the nearest wall with the blunt edge of his scythe.

Roxas's back collided with the crumbling rock wall so hard the breath was knocked out of him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell face first onto the ground.

The seer smirked but his victory was short-lived. The moment Roxas was launched across the corridor Terra used Quake to send the Seer Sage through a nearby support beam. The beam crumbled and collapsed on top of the seer.

"Roxas!" Aqua ran to the dual Keyblade Master's side and started to cast Curaga upon him until she realized she couldn't. Frantically, she reached into her pocket and gave him one of her Hi-Potions.

"Aqua!" Eraqus's voice resonated behind her. "Take Sora and Kairi and get out of here!"

"Terra, go! We'll hold them off!" Roxas concurred hoarsely as Aqua helped him stumble back to his feet.

"No!" Aqua protested, her eyes darting back and forth between Roxas and her Master. "Not without you!"

"You have to, Aqua! Do as I say!" Master Eraqus insisted as he ran to Yen Sid's side and began helping him attack the countless hoards of Demyx's water monsters.

"No! I refuse to turn my back on those who need me!" Aqua summoned Rainfell and ran toward Demyx.

"Aqua, you and Sora have to take Kairi and get out of here! Listen to us and trust us when we tell you that you have to go _now_! It is up to you now. Redeem us and right our wrongs! The young knight is right, they fear you and it is your destiny to restore balance to this world and you can't do that if you get caught here!" Yen Sid commanded.

Aqua's grip tightened on Rainfell as she prepared to charge at Demyx with Roxas.

"Go, Aqua!" Master Eraqus ordered so fiercely and sternly that Aqua automatically froze in her tracks as if she were a child again and Eraqus was merely scolding her for spoiling her dinner.

"Master…" She hesitated but deep down she knew she would have to leave him behind if she wanted to get out of here alive with Kairi.

"Aqua…come on, we need to go…" Terra began pulling on her arm. "We won't be able to do _anyone_ any good if we get captured or killed."

All their words rang true and she finally gave a reluctant nod, giving everyone one final glance before following Terra, Sora, and Kairi back up the stairwell.

"Wait, why are we going back up?" she shouted over the fierce hammering of her heartbeat in her ears.

"There's a window in the mess hall. We aren't going out the way we came in. We won't be able to get past Marluxia and Demyx…even with the other's help," Terra called back as he bashed and charged his way through countless guards and lower ranking knights.

"Aqua! Get up here and help me!" he bellowed as he cut through another guard who fell with a shrill wail.

Aqua sprinted past Sora and Kairi and began helping Terra fend off the hoards of guards.

While Terra either fatally injured or maimed the guards he came into contact with, Aqua tried freezing them to the walls or to the floor, or simply cast Stop on them. Behind her she could hear Sora fighting the guards that were closing in on them from behind. Like Yen Sid and Eraqus, he was forced to fight with his hands and sometimes his feet. She inwardly cringed each time she heard his knuckles come into contact with cartilage, metal, and bone. She didn't want to know how much pain he was in.

"Move, move, move!" Terra howled, motioning for them to go through the opened doorway of the mess hall.

Sora, Kairi, and Aqua rushed into the room and Terra barreled in after them, his dark eyes wild as they searched the area for something to barricade the door with.

"Sora, help me with this." The ex-knight began shoving one of the nearby stone tables toward the door.

Grunts and groans erupted throughout the space as they pushed and shoved the table to the doorways that would lead the countless guards into the vacant mess hall.

"I think I just…gave myself a hernia…" Sora complained between breaths after the barricade was securely in place. "So…what now?" he continued as he bowed over and rubbed his ruptured abdomen.

"Now we…" Terra stared holes into his manmade blockade until he realized who was speaking to him. "Wait! What the _fuck_ are you doing here?"

"What the fuck am _I_ doing here?" Sora chuckled in disbelief between ragged breaths. "What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

"Saving your ass apparently!" Terra snapped.

"The Masters wanted him to come with us, remember?" Aqua said as she eyed Terra curiously. His nose and mouth were bleeding and she realized he probably didn't remember what was going on around them because Marluxia had been messing with his head. Now that she thought about it, her head was hurting too. She suddenly felt a nosebleed coming on.

"I came to help and to help you get Kairi out. I knew she would be reluctant to go if I stayed behind," Sora explained as Terra continued to scowl at him.

"T-Terra, can…Sora c-come with…us?" Kairi asked sweetly.

Terra pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It would be very helpful if he came with us, Terra… And I'm not just saying that because Kairi wants him to come," Aqua added as she held a very unsettled Kairi against her.

"I'm not saying he _wouldn't_ be and I'm not saying the kid isn't talented. My problem is I don't think I have room for him on my glider!" Terra boomed, blood gushing from his mouth and nose as he spoke.

"I…don't want to go without Sora…" Kairi pleaded like a child.

"You'll have to do a lot more walking if we take him," Terra mumbled angrily under his breath.

"I'm fine with it if Kairi is. I don't want to leave him here..." Aqua agreed. She had already left behind the masters and if she could save someone else, she _definitely_ wanted to. She didn't want to leave anyone else behind.

"Guys…it's fine. Really. I don't have to go. Just take Kairi." Sora shook his head. "I'll stay behind with the masters."

"S-Sora…please," Kairi begged, tugging at his hand.

"I can't, Kairi…"

"For fuck's sake!" Terra howled and summoned his glider. "You're already here. Just get on. We'll work it out but right now we _have_ to get out of here or _none_ of us are leaving!"

Without another word, Terra mounted the glider with the others. As they slipped through the large bay window that rested high on the wall of the mess hall, Terra just knew they wouldn't make it five feet away from this damned prison before they had to dismount and walk. It was way too much weight and this thing wasn't really meant for two people _much less four_! But Light help him, he couldn't deny them both.

* * *

The trip back to Kaipo seemed to drag on forever. Terra was starting to have second thoughts about taking Sora with them. They had to walk _a lot_ more than he hoped they would because of the weight and strain that many people put on his Keyblade Glider, and he just knew poor Kairi was on the verge of dehydration. He would know. It hadn't been long since he'd suffered from dehydration in this desert. He just prayed she didn't get desert fever, but if she did, it was a good thing they were going to Kaipo. Tellah could fix her up.

The sun was slowly starting to rise and the night that had seemed eternal was finally starting to disperse. Night faded and day began, which meant the overbearing heat would only grow. The intensifying heat caused Aqua to frequently check Kairi's temperature by placing a hand on her forehead to ensure she didn't have a fever.

Kairi was still kind of apprehensive when it came to Aqua but she had accepted and even welcomed her kindness. She couldn't help but be comforted by Aqua and she was starting to accept the fact that maybe this girl _was_ her sister. It was obvious that Kairi could feel the attachment to Aqua although she didn't really remember _her_. However, they were all pretty sure she wouldn't remember any of this in a few days anyway. It would all be like a really long dream to her once her old memories returned.

"Hey…" Aqua called once she finished checking Kairi's temperature for the umpteenth time. "You're still bleeding."

She had been suffering from a nasty nosebleed as a result of Marluxia's attacks as well but hers – unlike Terra's – had stopped a long time ago.

"No shit?" Terra chuckled darkly and wiped his draining snout. "Don't worry. It'll stop eventually."

Aqua sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

Sora hadn't been with Aqua and Terra that long but he could tell that _something_ had gone on between them or that something _still_ was going on between them, something he found interesting. _Very_ interesting _._ He wished he could ask someone else if they saw what he was seeing or if the heat, the prison drugs, the malnutrition, and dehydration making him see things that weren't really there.

"Terra," Aqua called out again.

"Hmm?" he mumbled and cast Cure on the wound Marluxia's scythe had dealt to his chest. Again.

"What's going to happen to the Masters...and to Roxas...?"

Terra grimaced. He'd been hoping she wouldn't ask that.

"The Masters will probably be punished and sent back to their cells. They probably won't be killed but...Roxas will be tried for treason."

"They're going to kill him, aren't they?" Aqua asked solemnly.

"Probably." Terra saw no point in lying to her.

Aqua nodded and nothing else was said on the matter. She chose to talk to Sora about nothing instead. That was fine with Terra because that meant he didn't have to talk to Spunky or argue with Aqua anymore. He had lost too much blood, his head was killing him, his chest stung even though it had been healed, and he was pretty sure he was on the verge of catching desert fever _again_ so he didn't feel like talking at all.

Smoke lazily drifted off the town toward the sky and Terra realized it wasn't the heat, his migraine, or a mirage. He was actually seeing smoke and smoke was not a good sign. Smoke was _never_ a good sign.

"Something's wrong…"

"What is it?" Aqua asked as Kairi clumsily crawled onto Sora's back to get yet another piggyback ride.

"Smoke…" Terra responded desolately before his pace increased.

It wasn't until he pointed it out that Aqua and Sora noticed it as wel. Aqua could hardly see anything past the mild but still strong sandstorm when they were on foot and Sora was pretty sure that he wasn't capable of seeing much of anything in his pitiful state, but they could see the blackness hovering in the sky and knew that it was smoke.

"It's coming from Kaipo…" Aqua gasped.

"No… No… No. No. No! No!" Terra cried as he got closer and closer to the desert oasis and the closer he got, the worse this situation looked.

He was leaving the others behind and he knew that but he couldn't keep himself from running and tripping all over himself and the sand as he tried to reach the smoking town.

Kaipo was on fire, which meant the Dark Rule had been there and Terra knew it wasn't because of a Purge. It was because of him. Kaipo was burning because of him…

When Terra set foot within the town, he could already smell death. Bodies were everywhere and the heat was almost unbearable. The desert heat was already insufferable but the heat coming off the fire that mingled with it made this whole area literally feel like hell.

Seeing Terra panic was starting to make Aqua panic. Terra didn't panic. Terra did a lot of things, but normally, panicking wasn't one of them. If he was panicking, something was really wrong.

Golden ash fell from the sky like rain as Aqua, Sora, and Kairi tried to keep up with Terra's heated pace. It looked a lot like a Purge, but somehow, it didn't feel like one. Aqua instantly began to wonder if this was why they hadn't really been pursued since they left the prison. Were they waiting on them here?

"Was… Was this a Purge?" Sora inspected the horrible state of this one beautiful town as Kairi began dozing off on his back.

"I don't think so…" Aqua shook her head and walked through the crumbling town of sandy soot and steady burning fire.

"Terra!" she called despite her better judgment but he didn't answer her. The only answers she received were sobs and wails of those hurt, dying, or those crying for those that had already died.

She wanted to help but she didn't have enough Hi-Potions or even Potions to help everyone. She couldn't just save some people and tell the others that they would have to die. It was a terrible position to be in, one that could be avoided if she or Sora could use their white magic.

"I _never_ want to see this happen to another town again…" Aqua growled and clenched her fists so tightly it hurt. She'd seen this happen _way_ too many times in her nineteen years.

Sora concurred wholeheartedly. This was the first town he had seen since he was imprisoned over a year ago and the same people who had imprisoned him had destroyed it. Monsters. They were nothing but monsters, the whole lot of them. Only monsters could do something like this and not feel any remorse for it.

Aqua stumbled over the smoldering debris and wandered around the fires as she tried to remember where Anna and Tellah lived. She knew that was where Terra had gone.

Like all the others, Anna and Tellah's home was burning. Terra ran to the door but it wouldn't budge, something was blocking it from the inside.

"Anna!" Terra bludgeoned the door with all his might and rammed into it with his shoulder. "Tellah!"

Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the door, Terra busted in one of the nearby widows and crawled through it. He cut his arm and leg as he crawled through but he didn't feel it. He could feel the warmth of his blood seeping into his cowl and smoothing his flesh but not the pain.

"Tellah, you old bastard, answer me!" he bellowed and coughed, the smoke that occupied the tiny home invading his lungs.

He lifted his cowl over his mouth and ventured further into the vandalized house.

Some of the smoke exited the home through the window Terra had broken and allowed his vision to improve.

He could smell blood but he couldn't see it.

More of the smoke cleared and Terra could see that almost everything inside had been destroyed. The kitchen table was in splinters, the chairs were in pieces all through the tiny living quarters, and scorch marks where Tellah had casted powerful magics were everywhere. Bloody footprints were on the floor, handprints on the walls, claw marks on the doors, tiny pools of blood were scattered everywhere, and long, thick trails of crimson life fluid were leading right to the guest room.

Terra followed the coppery smell of blood, and followed the gory trail to the room where he and Aqua stayed the day before…

"Tellah... Anna!" he called and pounded on the door, hoping that they were just hiding or recovering in the tiny room. He hoped they weren't in the room at all. He hoped that they had fled.

No one answered so Terra tried to open the door but it was locked. He took a few steps back before barreling into the door and forcing it open.

"Terra!" he heard Aqua's voice outside the home but he couldn't answer because he was hit by the thick, overbearing smell of blood and death so hard that he gagged and reeled backward.

"Terra!" Aqua and Kairi called for him this time but the instant they did, his stomach flipped and leapt into his mouth.

Anna and Tellah were dead. Their guts had been thrown and sprayed all over the floor. Their blood was all over the creamy brick walls. They had been toyed with, probably tortured for hours and then their dead bodies had been violated in order to send a brutal message to those that found them…

Terra could hardly see the yellow of Anna's dress for all the blood that sullied the vibrant garment. Tellah's hair and beard were no longer white but deep crimson.

They had laid Anna on the bed. Her head lobbed over to the side, her lifeless eyes gawking at nothing as she rested on the vermillion bed. Her expression was almost peaceful but her mutilated entrails surged out of her stomach, slipped off the side of the bed, and pooled in the floor by the bed.

Tellah had been shot to the wall. Glowing, lavender arrows that Terra knew were from Xigbar's Arrowgun had plastered the poor sage to the brick of his own home. Arrows jutted from his hands, neck, torso, wrists, and kneecaps, forcing him to stand with his back pressed to the wall long after his heart had stopped beating.

"Terra!" Aqua called. They were in the house now.

"Don't come in here!" Terra wailed as he recoiled so violently he crashed into the door he'd busted open. He gasped for air and gagged at the same time. His fingers curled on the wood of the doorway as he bowed over and tried his best not to vomit.

Aqua ran to Terra's side only to have him motion for her to back away, his ability to speak abandoning him as he tried to remember how to breathe without throwing up.

Aqua pulled Kairi away from the door as she fought to reach him, and held her to her chest to shield her innocent eyes from the scene inside.

Terra had managed to keep Aqua from entering the room completely but she could still smell the death that hung thick in the air and see the blurs, distorted outlines, and faint shapes of those butchered inside.

Aqua couldn't make out any of the details of what rested within the room but she knew the individuals butchered in that room were Anna and Tellah. They were dead because the Dark Rule knew they'd helped them, because the seers _still_ knew what they were doing. They knew. They always knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Don't hate me for this gory, brutal chapter! I apologize for killing off Anna and Tellah but I felt the need to follow FF IV cannon. For those of you not familiar with FF IV, Anna and Tellah don't live to see the end of the game and sadly, they do not live to see the end of this story either. Don't hate me! The Dark Rule did it! Hate them for it!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	37. Rest in Pieces

Aqua sat with Sora and Kairi next to a crumbling building as Terra dry heaved a few feet away. She listened to him gag once, twice, three times before he finally threw up. She couldn't keep herself from wincing at the unpleasant sound.

She was sure if she had gotten a good look at what was in that room, she would have gotten sick on the spot. She admired him for being able to hold it in as long as he had.

Aqua, however, was numb. It hadn't sunk in that Anna and Tellah were dead. It didn't register that Kairi was with her. It didn't register that Kairi was practically brain-dead. It didn't register that a very emaciated and scrawny Sora was sitting next to her, and what they had done in that prison _really_ didn't register.

The only thing that did register was the fact that she had horrible headache; the nasty, unnatural one Marluxia gave her in the prison. Everything else was a big, confusing, bloodstained blur.

Terra coughed and gagged more nearby. Aqua could hear him trying to spit the sour taste out of his mouth and she suddenly felt nauseous herself. Sour bile began to rise into her mouth as if _she_ were the one getting sick.

"T-Terra gets tummy aches s-sometimes," Kairi kindly informed them as if they didn't understand why Terra was so sick. She even gave Aqua's hand a quick reassuring pat. "H-He will b-be okay."

Aqua wondered if her concern for Terra was that obvious. Was she that translucent? She then remembered how Kairi could always read her easily and it seemed like she still could even though she was essentially brain-dead.

She looked over at Sora. "Do you mind watching her for a minute?"

"Of course not. I'm just glad to be able to s-sit down for a minute." Sora grinned and she tried her best to ignore how pale he was and how he was slurring a bit. She couldn't worry about that yet.

Aqua thanks him under her breath and rose to her shaky feet. She made her way towards the former knight but didn't speak for a long time. She was trying to find the words or perhaps the right time to speak.

"You okay?" she finally spoke, her voice was soft and frail.

"It's my fault," he replied vacantly, still bowed over and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No…Terra…"

"It's my fault. I killed them and destroyed this town as if I'd conducted a Purge here myself. Their blood is on my hands. This village's destruction is on my head." Terra stared blankly at the singed, ash-covered ground he'd just vomited on. "I'm still conducting Purges even when I'm not conducting Purges."

"Terra, stop it. You know that isn't true." She reached out for him.

"You know that it is!" he bit back and coarsely turned to face her, the sudden movement causing Aqua to jump and take a step backward.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened here," she insisted. "This would have happened regardless. You know how they are. You know what they do…"

"This wouldn't have happened if I wouldn't have suggested we stay here. They knew we were here and they knew we would come back. That's why they killed them. That message is clear and it was for _us_!"

"I know that…but you can't blame yourself for this."

"Says the girl who blames herself for everything," the ex-knight scoffed and placed his hands on his knees before spitting onto the ground again.

"I blame myself for things that are my fault," she argued lightly. She didn't have the strength to truly argue with him. Her heart just wasn't in it.

"Oh, like me taking Kairi to Palamecia was your fault?"

"I should have been able to save her. It was essentially my fault…" Aqua countered passively.

"Right. Just like this was essentially _my_ fault," Terra hissed then sighed and shook head down when he realized he was being mean to her for no reason. His temper really was out of control. _He_ was out of control.

"Aqua, I'm sorry. I'm just angry with myself. I didn't mean to take it out on you." He grabbed fistfuls of his hair before he fell to his knees. Ash puffed underneath his legs and the smoldering cinders burned his skin but he didn't really feel it. However, he _did_ fell her hand meet the space between his shoulder blades.

"I was just trying to help," she replied, staring out at the smoky horizon as she rubbed large circles on his back.

"I know. I'm just not very good at accepting help. It's kind of a foreign concept."

"I understand," she said, her voice was barely over a whisper.

Terra glanced over his shoulder at her and her heart faltered when his eyes met hers. Meekly, she offered a small smile in return.

"How is she?" he asked, glancing back at Kairi.

Terra wanted to change the subject. He couldn't deal with the pain, sorrow, and guilt he felt for Anna and Tellah anymore. It was too much. He would mourn and confront those demons later. For now, he would repress it and focus on Kairi and Aqua. He would put that Dark Knight desensitized heartlessness to good use and block out everything but the task at hand. It wasn't like he had the time or the leisure to mourn anyway with the Overlords after them.

"She's tired. They both are. We should find somewhere safe to rest. I don't think we can make it all the way to Oerba like this," Aqua admitted as she observed how Kairi and Sora were struggling to stay awake or maybe they were struggling to just stay alive.

"They may not make it to Oerba at all if we wait. They are after us and we don't know how far they have tracked us. They knew we would come back here. They may be waiting for us in Oerba now or maybe they'll be waiting there tomorrow if we wait… I don't know… I don't know what we are supposed to do, Aqua," Terra confessed and ran a hand down his face.

"Let's just do what we have to. We don't have too many options… We've made it this far." She shrugged and continued to subconsciously rub Terra's back and shoulders. "Honestly, we've made it farther than I thought we would. I just knew we weren't getting out of that prison."

"Agreed," he concurred tersely.

"Can… Can we try to make camp somewhere? She _has_ to rest, Terra. I don't want to make her keep going like this…it will kill her," Aqua pleaded.

Terra nodded. "After we have some kind of burial for Anna and Tellah, I'll see what supplies I can get for us here. I'll get what I can, and then we can try to go to the Great Forest of Moore. The closest civilization is Oerba but that forest is a bit closer and it isn't too far north of here. It will get us out of the desert and since we can't get to Oerba or any other civilization in a reasonable amount of time, a forest to camp in will have to do…" Terra said that but he was actually thinking it would be as good a place as any to die.

"Thank you." Aqua's hand traveled to the back of his neck, her chilled fingertips making him shiver down to his core.

"Don't thank me yet," Terra repressed another shiver and brushed off her touch before he was reminded of how much he loved her.

* * *

They were able to reach Moore's forest just as night was falling. Much to Terra's surprise, they hadn't been killed yet and no one appeared to be waiting for them in the forest. However, that meant they were probably waiting for them in Oerba. They were just waiting, watching and waiting and to Terra, that was more terrifying than any action the Dark Rule could dish out. He hated the suspense and the anticipation, and he knew personally that if they were waiting, it wasn't a good sign. It meant something bad was probably coming.

He didn't call any of this to Aqua's attention though. She had enough to worry about without him telling her that the other part of her family was probably in danger. He hoped they didn't end up like Anna and Tellah. He really didn't feel like stumbling upon more dead bodies and he didn't want to see what that would do to Aqua.

"Is it strange that I envy her obliviousness?" Aqua asked as she watched her sister practically skip and frolic through the trees, occasionally picking up flowers as she went.

"No," Terra replied curtly. He knew exactly how she felt. He had been envious of Kairi's obliviousness on more than one occasion.

Aqua watched Kairi intently and during their time together, she had learned that her sister knew only happiness. Everything else was lost on her, but Aqua figured that was for the best. Kairi didn't worry about anything. She didn't have a care in the world. Why would she? She had little to no memory and the mentality of a small child. She didn't understand the Dark Rule, she didn't understand why she had been in prison, she didn't understand what had been done to her, and she didn't know why they were in the woods. To Kairi, this was just an adventure or maybe a camping trip. They weren't running for their lives. In her world, in her mind, she was with her friends and they were on a hike of some kind.

_At least she is enjoying herself…_ Aqua mused. _I'd rather her be like this than scared and miserable like the rest of us._

"Isn't this that forest by Moore?" Sora asked as he struggled to keep Terra's cowl on his body.

"Yeah," Terra replied and tried not to laugh at him. His cowl was about ten sizes too big on him. Sora looked like a kid who just got finished playing dress up in his dad's closet.

"Then…why aren't we staying in…Moore?"

"Because." Terra pinched the bridge of his nose. "Moore is even farther away than Oerba is. This forest is huge and travels all the way to the village of Moore. Moore is in the _northern_ edge but we are on the _southern_ edge of Moore's forest. Understand?"

"Mm." Sora nodded but Terra seriously doubted he had a fucking clue. Truthfully, Sora wasn't much better off than Kairi.

"Will that make us harder to track?" Aqua asked as she sat down by the base of a huge tree and began unpacking her satchel. She was utterly exhausted. She hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and she was hoping Terra would take the hint or follow her lead and make camp here.

"Yeah. It was always harder to track people in places like forests where all the scenery is practically the same. Places with distinct areas and locations are much easier," he replied as he began trying to make a fire pit.

Neither of them said it but they both knew they were thinking of the time he tracked her down in Amur. Amur's tavern was a very distinct location and it allowed Terra to easily track her down. If they were being tracked, they probably wouldn't track them in the forest. They would wait until they were in Oerba.

As everyone, except Kairi, tried to make camp, Aqua could tell that Terra was amused by how Sora could barely wear his cowl over the prison garb. She, however, was far from amused. It did nothing but sadden her. Sora was never a big guy, but he was always healthy. The boy she watched toss small logs into a messy pile and bicker with Terra was _far_ from healthy. She knew Terra's cowl would have fit much better the last time she saw him.

Sora was like Kairi. Both of them were emaciated, feeble, and suffering from severe malnutrition. Aqua couldn't decide who looked worse, probably Kairi. She was bloodier than Sora and she was clearly more… _medicated_ than he was but they were both a bit…off.

The sound of Kairi yawning reverberated in Aqua's ears as she took a seat next to her on one of the sleeping mats she had laid down.

Aqua had to refrain from holding her like she used to when they hid in shady alleyways together. She had to keep reminding herself that Kairi _wasn't_ a child although she acted like one. Kairi was fifteen now and she had to keep reminding herself of that and the fact that Kairi didn't remember her as her sister. Aqua wasn't even sure if she remembered Terra informing her that she was. She supposed it would stick eventually but for now, she had to be cautious and respect Kairi's boundaries even if it was torture.

"Is there a lake or creek or some body of water around here?" Aqua glanced around the area.

"Yeah. I found a small pond back east while getting firewood. Why?" Terra raised brow at her.

"I want to clean Kairi up," Aqua stated flatly as she observed the blood and flesh caked up underneath Kairi's fingernails.

"The lake is a distinct location…" Terra heeded and cast Fire on the stack of firewood he and Sora had gathered.

"We'll be careful," she replied as she stood, brushed the grass and soil off her shirt and leggings, and turned to face her sister. "Kairi, do you want to get cleaned up?"

Kairi jumped as if she had been asleep before nodding.

"This shouldn't take long. If you hear anything or if we are gone too long, come looking for us," Aqua said and ushered Kairi further into the woods.

As they silently walked to the small pond Terra had informed them of, Aqua realized she was still in shock. She was in pure, full-fledged shock and none of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours had sunk in yet. She was strictly going through the motions.

Kairi. Kairi was _finally_ next to her. Well, Kairi's shell was next to her, what was left of her sibling was next to her. But Aqua couldn't complain, this was more than she had a few days ago but it was still less than what she wanted.

Kairi was worst than she thought she would be, but Terra insisted that this was only temporary. He told her that Kairi would improve once the stuff they pumped into her system deteriorated. He couldn't tell her if she would make a full recovery but he did assure her that she would get better and, for now, that would have to be enough.

Deep down, Aqua knew Kairi wouldn't ever be the same even if she did make a _full recovery._ Someone couldn't go through what she'd gone through and not be different in some way. Aqua knew first hand what the Dark Rule could do to people, what their little _'projects'_ could do to people. She knew she wasn't the same after her rehabilitation and she still couldn't use white magic. Someone couldn't go through what they went through and make a full recovery. They had been though too much. It simply wasn't done.

The dreary musings ceased when Aqua realized they had already reached the tiny pond. It was lopsided, shallow, and surrounded by lots of reeds and foliage. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. Aqua hadn't planned on giving Kairi a full-fledged bath anyway. She just wanted to rinse her off a bit. Maybe she wanted to wash that prison off her. Maybe she was hoping if she cleaned her up, she would see her sister underneath all the blood, dirt, and grime.

"Okay!" Aqua clapped her hands together and forged her best smile. "Let's get started!"

Kairi smiled at her a bit and Aqua saw a flash of her sister for the fist time since they had been reunited. Her forged smile immediately turned into a genuine one.

"Can I roll your sleeves up?" she asked politely.

Kairi nodded.

Kairi was so out of it Aqua was sure she could convince her to do anything at this point. After all, they had managed to convince her to leave her prison home with them. She could clearly be talked into just about anything. However, this was better than the alternative. She didn't want her to act the way she had in the prison when she first spoke to her. Oblivious and gullible was better than frightened and distrusting.

Sora and Terra had warned Aqua about Kairi's arms and as she gripped the dark fabric, Aqua braced herself for what slept underneath her sleeve.

Aqua winced and repressed a gasp as she pushed the garment up Kairi's arm. It looked like someone had been driving nails up her arms and she supposed they basically had been. The skin on the underside of her arms hardly looked like skin at all anymore. It was all tinted pink, puffy, and wrinkled. The scaring was terrible. She looked like a Dalmatian with all the holes along her arm.

No wonder Kairi scratched at her arms all the time. It looked like she was some kind of sick, deranged burn victim.

"I'm so sorry, Kairi." Aqua tentatively ran her fingertips over the scarring.

"For w-what?" Kairi yawned. She didn't react to Aqua's touch and she realized there was little to no feeling left in them.

"For everything." Aqua shook her head and guided Kairi towards the water. "Do your arms hurt?" she asked as she tried to dig all the dirt, skin, and blood out from under Kairi's blackened nails.

_That was probably a dumb question..._

"They b-burn. It-It stings," Kairi said, watching Aqua attentively.

"We'll get Terra to work on them when we get back to camp." Aqua untied her skirt, removed it, and dipped the tip of it into the cool water.

"C-Can't you h-heal people?" Kairi inquired and Aqua instantly wondered how much she had actually forgotten. That question seemed more like a statement than a question. Maybe she was more present than they thought she was. Maybe they weren't giving her enough credit.

"I used to." Aqua shrugged and began wiping the blood and nostrums off Kairi's arms with her damp skirt.

"W-what happened? W-why…can't…you…anymore?"

"I got into some trouble, lost sight of what's important…" Aqua sighed and brushed some of Kairi's hair out of her face.

Beneath the matted, tangled mane of deep crimson, Aqua could see the shadow of her sister. In the moonlight, she could see Kairi's distant eyes that were dilated even in the poor lighting of night. Her cheeks had little to no color, her lips were chapped and cracked and the dark circles under her eyes were almost as black as her oversized pupils.

Kairi closed her eyes and leaned into Aqua's touch, sighing as she felt Aqua wiping the blood and filth off her face. She began mumbling about how Terra used to wipe her face clean sometimes and how he was always rough and playful. She then rambled on about how Aqua was gentler and soft, how it made her want to go to sleep.

Aqua hoped that that meant that she had decided that she liked her again.

"I wish I had a brush…" Aqua mused. "We could wash your hair and get rid of some of those tangles if I did."

Kairi didn't answer. She simply indulged in the feeling of being cared for.

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to improvise." Aqua sighed again and began weaving her fingers into Kairi's tangled locks. She massaged her greasy scalp and did her best to turn her fingers into some form of comb. Some of the knots and tangles were so bad she knew that at some point she would have to wrestle with them later, either with a comb or with a pair of scissors. Kairi desperately needed a haircut anyway. Truthfully, she needed one before she was Purged over a year ago.

Gradually, Kairi's hair began to turn red again. It was no longer the dingy maroon it had been when they reached the pond. Aqua had been unable to remove all the crud and filth from her hair but she did manage to remove the excess. Progress was progress she assumed.

"There. I know that feels better," Aqua whispered as she tossed Kairi's now damp hair around a little.

"I-It does… Thank…you," Kairi breathed and instinctively leaned toward Aqua's voice.

Aqua wanted to hug her. She wanted to tell her how much she'd missed her and that she loved her. She wanted to apologize for things she knew Kairi didn't even remember but she knew that would only frighten and confuse her and she didn't need any of that. What Kairi _needed_ was more important than what she _wanted_.

"Do you think you could wade out into the water a bit? To get your legs clean?" Aqua asked softly.

"C-can you h-help…me?" Kairi stuttered.

"Of course."

The older girl moved around Kairi and helped lift her to her feet, guiding her out into the water until the moon kissed liquid consumed her knees.

As Aqua tenderly began removing a years worth of blood and filth from Kairi's bony limbs, Kairi began raving again. She mumbled something about lavender and how Aqua smelled and sounded familiar. She even went on to rave about how she was too warm and kind to be bad like the _Masters_ said.

"T-tired," Kairi mused just as her legs gave.

Aqua knelt down and easily caught her before she could completely submerge herself.

"Me too." Aqua sighed as she helped Kairi out of the water. "Me too…"

* * *

Sora paced around the camp like a moogle on narcotics. Terra watched in annoyance as Sora twitched and chewed on a piece of jerky they had purchased in Kaipo.

Terra had to resist the urge to yell at him or insult him. Technically, his strange mental state and behavior wasn't his fault, but _damn,_ was it annoying.

Since his last few months as a Dark Knight in the Palamecian Prison, Terra had been working on being nicer to the spunky boy. Aqua didn't like it when he was rude to him. Kairi didn't like it either but at the moment she was a bit too out of it to complain much. Terra was sure once Kairi got some of her personality and lucidity she would start taking up for Spunky too so he was _trying_ to play nice.

Sora was skittish and restless for a multitude of reasons. The main one probably being his body adjusting to life without sadistic drugs perpetually running through his veins. He felt like he was going through withdrawals even though he didn't _like_ the drugs he unwillingly abused. He assumed that didn't change the way his body became dependent on them. It was used to them now because the abuse had been a constant for over a year.

The feeling coursing through Sora's veins and churning through his insides was strange. He couldn't explain it. It just felt odd and completely out of his control. He was just _off_. He had been for a year now but he was even more off now that his body was trying to get back to normal. His delayed body was trying to sync up with his brain again or maybe his body was trying to sync up with his delayed brain. Either way, all the wires were cross and plugged into the wrong sockets. Nothing was put together properly and it made even the simplest actions one would take for granted a struggle.

Sora didn't like feeling this way. Another thing Sora didn't like was Aqua and Kairi being away and he really didn't like being left _alone_ with the former Dark Knight, one of the most brutal men on the planet. But he _seemed_ harmless enough now. He knew he couldn't be that bad after all he had done for them or maybe he just did it for Aqua. Sora had seen the way he looked at her sometimes.

Shuffling sounded in the bushes nearby.

Terra tensed and summoned Earthshaker, and Sora inhaled a piece of jerky.

"It's okay," Aqua called as she and Kairi stumbled into the campsite. "It's just us."

Terra relaxed but Sora continued to hack on the jerky that was now lodged in his throat. His midnight blue eyes rolled. He couldn't help it.

Kairi was all but asleep as Aqua escorted her into one of the pallets laid out by the campfire. The redhead instantly molded to the pallet and drifted farther to sleep.

Aqua sighed and collapsed onto the ground by Kairi. She was going to have Terra run Curaga over her arms but she couldn't bring herself to wake Kairi up so he could do so.

"Hey! She's a redhead again," Sora mused aloud as he plopped down on the ground next to them.

The blue girl shrugged. "I did what I could."

Exhausted, she folded her arms over her knees and buried her face in her arms.

Terra knew that position. Aqua deteriorated like that when she was at wit's end, when she was beyond exhausted. She had crumbled like that beside his bed in Tarnen their first night together.

Terra wandered around the fire and crouched down next to her. "She looks better."

Aqua jumped and her eyes fluttered as she realized who was talking to her. Once she focused on his face, she began shaking her head.

"She still looks horrible. She is so confused…and deranged…and weak…and bruised…and battered and drugged…and… And scarred." Her hands instinctively gripped the protective covering on her wrists that hid her scars.

"She'll get better." Terra tried to assure her and placed a hand on her bare shoulder, completely forgetting that Sora was only a few feet from them. His thumb stroked the soft skin of her shoulder, his hand caressing up to the base of her neck before traveling back down her shoulder.

"I'm tired. I'm _so_ tired… I'm tired of the running and the fear… I can't remember the last time I was able to wake up without that worry and fear coiling in my gut, without that horrible feeling of pure dread looming over me…" Aqua raved, keeping her face hidden in her arms.

Terra wanted to take it away for her. He wanted to give her that peace that she wanted so badly, the peace she deserved. Her whole life had basically been nothing but one disaster or catastrophe after another. She was always tortured or oppressed. She didn't know anything else, but that didn't keep her from striving for it, for longing for it and having faith that it existed and that she might one day obtain it. He admired that. He admired _her._

"You should rest." Terra patted her back. "I'll keep watch."

"What about you?" she asked and glanced up at him with somber eyes. "You need to rest every bit as much as I do."

"Don't be difficult. Just go to sleep," he scolded rather coarsely as he rose to his feet. "We'll take shifts. I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

Aqua didn't argue. She didn't have the strength to so she merely lied down next to Kairi. All she wanted to do now was be close to her.

Terra walked back across the site to his tree and leaned against it again. Sora followed him and sat on the fallen tree next to him.

They listened to Aqua and Kairi exchange whispers across the campfire. Aqua had taken Kairi's hands in hers and Terra could swear that she was either humming to her or telling her a story. He wasn't entirely sure because of the crackling fire and the distance but he was just glad they were finally together again. He was glad he was able to give Aqua this, something other than misery and scars.

Sora smiled at the sight of Kairi and Aqua together again. He knew Kairi had missed her even if she wasn't aware of it and Aqua _definitely_ missed Kairi if she was willing to bust into that prison with Darkness incarnate. Sora didn't want to know what hell Aqua had to go through to find out where they were and to get to them, but he knew Terra was probably at the root of it.

Thinking of the deserter, Sora turned to glance at the man in question.

He was just leaning against that tree, watching Aqua and Kairi attentively with _that look_ on his face. It was the same weird look he always got when he watched Aqua. Sora couldn't describe it. Terra only got it when Aqua was around or if he was touching her…

_Dude… No…freaking…way!_

"You like her, don't you?" It came out _long_ before Sora had the chance to stop it. He had absolutely no filter and his brain was still too slow to keep him from saying things that just popped into his head. His mouth went off before his mind could tell it not to.

"Who?" Terra responded flatly to keep himself from sounding like an annoyed asshole. He was _really_ trying to be considerate of Sora's condition and the fact he was recovering from being pumped with drugs for over a year. Sora was experiencing a chemical imbalance and it was making his _already_ irritating demeanor worse so it was proving hard to do.

"Aqua. You like her." Sora leaned towards Terra.

Terra held his tongue, frowning

"I mean you _like_ her," Sora emphasized and reiterated.

The ex-knight's frown turned into a scowl. "Shut up and go to sleep, Spunky."

Sora smiled smugly. Terra's evasion said a lot.

"Okay. Okay." Sora held his hands up defensively. "We don't have to talk about it now. I know you aren't the most in touch with your feelings, so I can wait until you're ready to talk about it."

"Oh, for the love of Darkness." Terra threw his forehead into his palm.

"When you are ready to talk about it, I'll be here, big guy." Sora proceeded to tease him although he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe he just wanted to have some fun. This guy kind of reminded him of Riku and it was always fun to mess with Riku like this. However, Terra wasn't as nice as Sora's silver-haired best friend was. Maybe Terra wouldn't kill him…

Terra's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Go. To. Sleep."

It was a warning and Sora heeded it. He decided he didn't want to die just yet.

* * *

The sound of calling birds and the rustling of leaves woke Aqua from her slumber. Rays of the sun were peaking through the green, swishing canopy above and she realized it was probably early in the morning.

They'd made it through another night.

Aqua's forehead was pressed to Kairi's and her hands were still within hers. It had been a long time since she'd slept with her younger sister like this. They hadn't done this since they were kids but she didn't mind. Honestly, she was a touch clingy but she couldn't help it. She wanted to ensure that she was really there with her, that it all wasn't a dream, and that they were finally together again. Aqua never wanted to take anything from Kairi for granted again.

The Great Forest of Moore was coming back to life as morning took root in the reddish-orange sky. Aqua had been in such a daze as they trekked through it the day before she didn't realize how pretty it was, immense, but pretty. It was so green and lush and full of life and completely untouched by the Dark Rule. Here, nature was still nature.

As Aqua released Kairi's hands and stretched, she tried to figure out how early it was by the position of the sun in the sky. She realized it was still relatively early in the morning.

_Wait... If it's morning, then that means...! He never woke me up!_

Aqua bristled and rolled over to see Terra was still awake and sitting at the base of the tree with his arms folded over his sturdy chest.

"Liar!" she cried, stumbling to her feet.

The accusation was so loud and unnatural amongst the calming sounds of the forest it caused birds to scatter and Sora and Kairi to crash into consciousness.

"You said you would wake me up!" Aqua shouted as she stormed around the dying embers of the campfire toward the rogue knight.

"I take it you're feeling better today," he replied calmly. "You've clearly regained your drive to yell at me."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Her voice softened a little.

"It must've slipped my mind." He casually brushed some of the bark and foliage off his shoulder.

"Liar!"

Terra shrugged. He'd been called worse.

"After _everything_ you went through yesterday and you didn't sleep? Did you sleep _at all_? Not to mention you have to help us get back to Oerba! And what if we run into the Dark Rule out there? Did you even think about that?!"

"Relax." He covered her mouth stop the assault. "Part of Dark Knight training involves staying up for three days straight then going on a mission. I'm fine. I've gone longer without sleeping than this."

"Terra," Kairi's weak, hoarse voice called as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why i-is she mad a-at you?"

"She's mad because I let her sleep," Terra smiled smugly, turning the tables on Aqua, knowing Kairi would take his side.

"Why are-are y-you mad about that?" Kairi asked skeptically as she released a yawn.

Aqua reeled. "I'm not! I'm not mad because he let me sleep, I'm mad because he _didn't_ sleep!"

"I was just trying to be nice…" Terra pretended to be sad and cast his gaze to the ground like a child who had been scolded for something they didn't do.

"You…!" Aqua growled, gritting her teeth at his little show. Across the campsite, Sora was trying not to laugh.

"D-don't be mean to him, A-Aqua." Kairi got up and embraced the ex-knight. "He w-was just-just trying to h-help."

Aqua crossed her arms and looked away from the smug look that rested on Terra's face as he patted Kairi's head. Why wasn't she surprised that her sister took up for Terra? Kairi _never_ took her side in an argument and, apparently, incoherent Kairi didn't either.

"Yeah… She does that," Sora grumbled and threw an arm over his eyes. "She likes him for some reason. So you should just get use to her taking his side now."

"Wonderful..." Aqua groused under her breath before stomping across the campsite and digging through her satchel. She began searching for supplies so she could make breakfast and tried to ignore the fact that Kairi was Terra's new secret weapon.

* * *

Getting back to Oerba took longer than Aqua thought it would…or maybe it was shorter… She wasn't sure if it was because she was paranoid or because the trip was so awkward and quiet, but that was what Terra demanded. He said he wanted them to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't tip off any pursuers or call attention to themselves.

"There is nothing here but Heartless," Sora stated the obvious as they finally entered the barren suburb.

"Shut up," Terra commanded sternly. He was on edge, _very_ on edge. He was all but positive they would have company waiting for them and he had the notion that if they were quiet, maybe they wouldn't be caught as easily.

"Terra," Aqua chided.

"Do you want to let them know we are here?" Terra hissed, glaring down at her.

"Do you think they're waiting for us?" she whispered.

"Probably, so we need to be quiet!" Terra spoke lowly but harshly.

Without another word, they continued their trek into the dead city of Heartless. They managed to stay completely silent until Sora stubbed his exposed toe on one of the tree roots that coasted along the broken asphalt in the vacant streets.

Sora wailed and bowed over as his smallest toe was rammed into his foot. His intense howl bounced off every object in Oerba and Terra was sure anyone within a ten-mile radius heard him.

"Shut the _fuck_ up! You'are going to get us killed! They could already be here! They probably know we'r—" Terra's lecture was cut short by a glowing lavender arrow going through his shoulder. The shot was so strong and quick he was forced onto his back.

"Terra!" Aqua cried as Kairi gasped next to her.

She ran to him without a second thought, but a barrage of arrows halted her advance. She stumbled backwards and instinctively held her hands up to try to defend herself from the onslaught.

"Hi, kiddo!" Xigbar's loud, gruff voice echoed around them Terra held his shoulder and staggered back to his feet.

Xigbar leapt from a nearby tree and gracefully landed on his feet behind them. His lone, golden eye shone with mischievousness as he approached, a contemptible smirk plastered on his scarred face.

Aqua summoned Rainfell and took a few steps back in order to get closer to Sora and Kairi.

"Long time no see! How have you been?" the one-eyed Elder teased as he closed in on them.

Terra said nothing to the man he knew for a fact helped kill Anna and Tellah, the two people who had shown him true kindness, his first real friends outside of the Dark Rule, the first people he allowed himself to care about after he deserted.

His jaw clenched in frustration, pain, and rage as he mended his shoulder wound with Curaga. His eyes darted around the area and he saw that Xigbar wasn't alone. Ansem and Demyx were walking down the opposite side of the street toward them as well. It looked like they had just finished paying their temporary dwelling a visit. Terra hoped that Xion and Ven hadn't been there and that Riku and Naminé weren't back yet.

"I see you're still hanging around the prison crowd. Aww, look! Even poppet is with you!" Xigbar pointed his Arrowgun at Aqua. "That's good," he tossed the weapon up and down in his palm. "That saves me _a lot_ of trouble. I can kill two birds with one stone. Hmmm, if she is a bluebird, what does that make you, Terra? A crow? A vulture? A raven? Oh well, it doesn't matter! Can't let failed experiments, deserters, and fugitives go running around! You understand, don't you, kiddo?"

"Of course I do." Terra summoned his Keyblade.

Demyx was closer now but the Overlord had taken his stance further away from them. Ansem looked irritated but surprisingly calm.

Terra recognized the procedure. Dark Overlords weren't supposed to get their hands dirty until it was necessary, but if he was there, that meant they were expecting it to become necessary.

Sora pulled Kairi further behind him and Aqua and tried his best to summon a Keyblade out of Kairi's good luck charm. He prayed that he was strong enough to and that he still wasn't too drugged to do so like he had been when they were busting out of the prison.

After much concentration and a busted blood vessel later, Sora was able to call forth Oathkeeper, but doing so almost made him keel over. He was able to summon a Keyblade but he was starting to think doing so might kill him.

"You okay?" Aqua asked but didn't take her eyes off Xigbar.

"I-I don't know," replied Sora honestly before trying to get into his old Keyblade stance. He was ten different kinds rusty. Not to mention dizzy. This was bad but it was better than not being armed at all. At least he had a weapon.

Xigbar took the first shot and it was aimed right at Sora's head but he managed to deflect it before it went through his eye and out the back of his skull. His reflexes were definitely improving but he was still really slow, a shadow of his former physique and skill thanks to his time in that damn prison.

When Terra saw Xigbar targeting Sora, Aqua and Kairi, he lunged forward to help them but was cut off by a torrent of water that erupted from the ground.

"Hi, Terra." greeted Demyx with a smile as the water fell down and shimmered all around them.

"Demyx," Terra mumbled.

"I'm sorry it's come to this… I told them they were sending the wrong guy…" Demyx gave an awkward shrug and grin.

"Probably," Terra smirked although he knew good and damn well they had purposely sent the wrong guy. They wanted Demyx's blood on his hands.

"We don't have to fight, Demyx…" Terra took a few cautious steps toward him. "We can—"

"Silence, traitor," Demyx hissed with newfound conviction and pointed a condescending finger at Terra. They weren't expecting him to succeed and he knew it but Terra could see that he was driven to prove them wrong. He could prove himself by slaying the former Captain of the Dark Knights…

Lord Ansem's orange eyes followed the conflicts as he waited patiently in the shadows for his time to strike. As an Overlord, it was no longer his place to act immediately. He had paid his dues. He fought for the Dark Realm years ago and he was obviously content to merely watch conflict until he saw fit to do otherwise.

As Aqua exchanged blows with Xigbar, she began to wonder where Kairi was. They told her to get away from all the fighting, but once the assault started, she and Sora had gotten so caught up in trying to defeat Xigbar that they had lost track of where she actually went.

Aqua's eyes darted around the area and they didn't see any trace of Kairi but they did see Demyx and his water spells closing in on Terra. The water had taken on multiple human forms, all of which were completely focused on Terra. He cut through them continually but his powerful strikes caused him to open up, to leave his chest vulnerable, unguarded, something Demyx noticed the instant Aqua did.

Demyx called Dark Firaga into his palm, holding the spell in his hand like as if it were nothing more than a ball as he charged towards Terra. Once he was close enough to him he flattened the hand consumed with the arcane magic against Terra's exposed chest, right over his heart.

Aqua's warning came out too late, leaving her lips the moment they plummeted to the ground. The next thing she knew, massive Dark blast was erupting between them.

" _Terra_!" Aqua screamed so loudly and hoarsely her eyes teared.

Instinctively, she ran for him only to be stopped by one of Xigbar's arrows shooting into her thigh. She wailed, falling to her knees just as another arrow shot through her side.

"Ah, ah, ah, poppet!"

"Aqua!" Sora cried, throwing his Keyblade Xigbar into the back his head.

Xigbar reeled, the blow forcing him to the asphalt beneath his feet.

Despite the pain in her leg and the anguish in her side, Aqua hobbled to her feet and crawled toward Demyx and Terra's forms.

_He's dead… He's dead…_

Aqua's held her hemorrhaging side and knelt down beside Terra. She just knew he was dead. His eyes were wide and distant and appeared to regard nothing. She would go as far as to describe them as dead eyes, eyes completely void of emotion and it didn't look like he was breathing anymore.

Terra could do nothing but stare blankly at the sky, feeling blood seeping into his clothes. He could feel thick fluids spilling out and warming his chest and stomach.

"No way…" Demyx choked.

If Terra could breathe, he would laugh at the irony of being shot through the heart by one of the worst, most humiliating subordinates he'd ever had, the laughingstock of his guild.

Demyx lied limp on top of him and Terra closed his eyes tightly as realization washed over him. His hands were being warmed by blood as well and just like that, he knew he had instinctively shot Dark Firaga through Demyx's stomach before he could shoot it through his heart. It was _his_ blood that he felt…not his own.

"Terra!" Aqua's desperate voice finally broke through the confusion fogging up his brain and he began coughing, finally regaining the ability to breathe or perhaps simply remembering to breathe.

Aqua's breathing hitched in her throat as Terra jerked back to life, as dullness left his eyes. He was all right.

He coughed more, wriggling beneath Demyx's weight. She thought about helping him but she could only watch with wide eyes as he shifted Demyx's lifeless body off him. She'd been so relieved to see Terra was alive that she hadn't realized what him being alive meant.

"…I'm sorry…Terra…" Demyx rasped, coughing blood as he held the gaping smoldering hole in his stomach. The wound beneath his hands sizzled, as did his organs. Ethereal, ebony smoke rose from the deep wound, wriggled around his hands, and seeped between his fingers.

"But…but…orders are o-orders… You… You know that…right…? It w-was nothing p-personal…" Demyx's emerald eyes watered as he gazed up at Terra. His eyes were gentle now and seemed to beg for forgiveness. The Dark Knight duty and rage had faded and now all that was left was the remorse he felt for attacking his comrade, his old friend.

"I know…" Terra nodded and placed one of his hands on top of Demyx's. He could feel the heat rising off Demyx's hand and the hole he'd burned right through his entrails. He started to cast Curaga on him but he could already sense it was too late. Death's seal was already in place. Curaga would do no good now.

"Demyx… Demyx stay with us…" Aqua placed a hand on his heaving chest and began popping the top off one of her Hi-Potions.

"It's too late, Aqua…" Terra stated glumly. Demyx was thrashing on the ground now, hacking for life as the Dark Firaga continued to consume and eat away at his insides.

"No. No, it's not. He's still breathing," she argued feverishly and began giving Demyx the Hi-Potion by mouth even though she could smell the burning flesh and the immense blood.

"It doesn't matter. That wound is fatal." Terra knew that the instant he realized his spell went through Demyx instead of Demyx's going through him. He'd killed countless people. He knew when death was inevitable, when it was too late to heal. Terra knew fatal wounds.

Just as the words left Terra's mouth, Demyx's coughing and thrashing stopped. He wheezed, the blood that rose into the back of his throat gurgling before a final grunt erupted from his mouth. His emerald eyes glazed over as the air in his lungs was released for the last time.

Terra sighed and let go of Demyx's hands as Aqua looked away only to see Ansem closing in on them. Her breathing stopped and panic set in as she realized one of the _Overlords_ was there with them. She was so worried about Xigbar and Demyx she didn't even realize he was amongst them as well.

"Terra, Terra, Terra," Lord Ansem shook his head and took long confident strides toward them, his voice oozing disapproval. "Look at what you've done. Look where your horrible habits have taken us now. You've killed your own subordinate, your comrade, your _brother_."

Terra winced.

With Ansem preoccupied with condemning Terra, Aqua took a moment to find Sora and Kairi only to wish that she hadn't. Sora now laid lifeless on the ground, either unconscious or dead. Kairi was on ground next to him, holding his head in her lap as Xigbar eerily loomed over her, Arrowgun in hand and all but pointed at her head.

Xigbar had gotten up. No doubt Ansem had helped him while they were with Demyx.

Aqua squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands on the pavement in frustration.

_No…_

At this point, she could only hope that her sister could somehow escape the fate that waited her at the tip of Xigbar's Arrowgun because this was the end of the line for her and Terra. Ansem would see to that.

"Well, I'm glad you found your white whore, Terra. Maybe you will die happy." Ansem took Terra by his throat and hauled him off the ground as if he were weightless.

Aqua automatically took Rainfell in her hand, casting Blizzaga at Ansem's hand and countering with a Thundaga spell to his torso. However, the Overlord merely staggered backward and tightened his grip on Terra's throat.

Enraged, Ansem threw Terra as hard as he could into a pile of nearby scrap metal that rested next to the street's stone siding.

"I told them you were more trouble than you were worth!" the monarch summoned his dual ended staff and charged at her. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He stabbed the staff into the ground near her feet, causing Aqua to stumble onto her back and roll out of the way.

"But you didn't, did you?" she taunted as she used her Keyblade to block the next blow, which was intended for her stomach. The winged staff staggered and stabbed into the ground next to her instead of going through her.

Panting, she held her aching side with her free hand and tried to get up, but the blood loss and pain was getting to her and she was struggling to get back on her feet. She could only crawl around on the rocks and asphalt like a dying animal.

"No, but I won't make the same mistake twice!" he bellowed and raised his staff over his head, preparing to permanently harpoon her to the street but before the sharp end of the staff could connect with her spine, a boulder was shot into the monarchs back.

Ansem howled in pain but did not fall. Instead, he turned from Aqua to face the boulder's origin.

In one quick motion, Terra charged and moved to bash his skull in with Earthshaker only to have his weapon connect with some Dark field Ansem had cast around himself. Earthshaker fell just short of Ansem's head and Terra ground his teeth in his mouth in frustration as the Overlord arrogantly sneered at him. It was like some Dark version of Protect that safely shielded him from Terra's attack.

The magical field countered almost instantly and exploded into a burst of Darkness that sent Terra reeling. He flew backwards for what felt like an eternity, scrapping along the crumbling streets of Oerba until he finally rolled into a crevasse waiting within in the collapsing road.

The momentum finally stopped and he was frantically clawing at anything and everything he could get his hands on but he couldn't keep himself from falling further into the gaping crevasse of the street.

"Terra!" Aqua screamed and instantly ran to his aid, completely forgetting about Ansem, her pain, and any pending danger. She fell to her hands and knees, collapsing onto her stomach against the ground as she took hold of Terra's wrists just before he completely fell into the endless abyss below.

"Hold on! Hold on, Terra! I've got you!" she cried as Terra's hands wrapped around her wrists just as hers had wrapped around his.

Helplessly, he tried to find his footing on the inside of the crevasse but the more he moved the more he was pulling Aqua down with him and the more his newly mended shoulder felt like it was being ripped apart at the seams.

"Fuck!" he shouted as he writhed and tried in vain to get himself back up onto the street. His elbows continuously fell just short of the ledge Aqua laid upon. He was too heavy. She'd caught him but he had fallen too far.

Lord Ansem laughed uncontrollably.

"Well, isn't this _sweet_." The Overlord dug his foot into the small of Aqua's back and churned his staff's blade into the back of her neck.

Aqua wailed as his heel ground into her spine and pushed so hard she felt her guts would either come out of her mouth or the laceration Xigbar's arrow created in her side.

Her grip slipped at the intense pain and she was suddenly no longer holding Terra's wrists. She was now holding onto his hands, but she didn't let him go. She couldn't let him go. She tried to communicate this to him by holding his dark blue as Ansem tried to squash her like a bug beneath his contemptible heel.

"You know, Terra, I _may_ owe you an apology." Ansem leaned forward and studied them cynically, resting his elbow on his knee. "I may have stated an untruth when I said that she never loved you. She clearly feels _something_ for you or she would have let you fall to your death. That… or she is just a foolish Child of Light that tries to save _everyone_."

"Let me go Aqua," Terra said sternly

"What?" she gaped. "No! Are you crazy?!"

"You can't pull me back up. I'm too heavy. Let me go, fight Ansem, and help Kairi…" he said softly, trying to keep his thoughts and words away from Ansem.

"No," she hissed through gritted teeth as her grip tightened. "I'm not letting you go…"

"Isn't that noble of you, Terra. Unrealistic, but noble. Their foolishness has rubbed off on you. Too bad it won't do you any good." Ansem twisted the staff's sharp tip into the back of Aqua's neck and pushed his heel farther into her back until her spine popped.

She screamed again, the pain blinding her, causing her to falter. He was slipping through her fingers but she _wasn't_ going to let go.

"You're in for a treat, Terra," Ansem pressed his foot even farther into Aqua's back. "I have decided she will fall into this abyss with you. After all, you started misadventure together. It is only appropriate that you end this _fucking_ fiasco together! You refused to execute her, so your punishment shall be to perish with her."

Terra continued to slip through her hands. She was only holding onto his fingers now.

"I mean you have gone through _so_ much to just be with her. It would be cruel of me to take her away from you now that you have finally found each other again!" The Dark Overlord he looked over her blue head and down into Terra's eyes, his lips curling as he enjoyed his own cruelty as well as the vexation that wracked Terra's features. "After all, you just couldn't live without her! You were so miserable without her and I would hate to deprive you of that for another moment. You deserve to have her until the end. But the end is probably coming a bit sooner than you hoped, so I would try to bask in the fall if I were you."

Ansem's foot left Aqua's back. "Goodbye, Terra. And don't worry, Aqua, I'll take _good_ care of Kairi."

Aqua cried out as Ansem's boot collided with her side, as was mercilessly hoofed into the crevasse. Terra's arms wound around her as they left the ledge and were ripped apart by the jagged edges of the crevasse's walls. He shielded her from the jutting rocks and saw-toothed walling. He purposely shifted them around so his back would take the blunt of the damage, pulling her so close that she was almost inside of him, his logic screaming that if she were inside him, the walls wouldn't rip her apart and that whatever rested at the end of this seemingly never-ending hole would kill him and not her.

The ex-knight held her as close as humanly possible but he knew she was still being harmed in some way. The fall was too swift, rough, and violent for her not to be. Too much was happening and he only had so much control. He was rolling around and hitting anything and everything within the trench. Limbs, tree roots, rocks, boulders, ledges, and things he couldn't even recognize.

As they fell, he didn't feel the pain. For some reason, the only thing he could feel was regret. He wished he had told her he loved her before he died. He couldn't tell her now. All he could do now was hold her and hope that the Light spared its special child that trembled within his arms.

That thought, however, came to an abrupt halt when the final blow of the fall collided with the back of his skull.


	38. Rolling In the Deep

* * *

_Still a little bit of your taste in my mouth_

_Still a little bit of you laced with my doubt_

_Still a little hard to say what's going on_

_-Damien Rice, Cannonball_

* * *

Blood dripped from Roxas's busted snout and mangled muzzle. Gravity pulled the life fluid from his cranium and dragged it to the grainy prison floor below him.

His feet did not touch the ground. He had been chained to a prison wall; his arms far over his head as he hung suspended by the chains and shackles around his wrists.

He'd been beaten senseless and stripped of his armor before finally being placed in an interrogation cell.

He knew these cells well. After all, he had performed many an interrogation inside shadowy walls just like these but he had never been the prisoner that was helplessly dangling off the ground.

Six sets of eyes rested on him intently: two gold, two red-orange, and two indigo. All six held nothing but contempt and indignation for him.

"I am going to ask you again, Roxas," Lord Xemnas began again, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why did you do it?"

Roxas didn't answer. He merely held his head down and waited for Vanitas to flog him again.

"Did you understand the orders?" Xemnas inquired even though this wasn't the first time he had asked him this.

Yes. Roxas understood the orders. He just chose not to follow them.

"You knew they were coming and did I not tell you to aid Marluxia if they came before we were able to transfer Kairi to Nalbina?" Xemnas continued.

"You…did," Roxas rasped, coughing some of the blood out of his mouth.

"Then why did you help them _escape_?" The Overlord was starting to lose his cool. "All you had to do was keep them here until sunrise! You knew Vanitas and I were coming here to intervene and deal with Aqua and Terra once Kairi was transferred!"

"I told you that Aqua and Terra were here," Marluxia hissed in disgust and Roxas could feel the seer digging in his already sore and violated brain. He couldn't remember what it was like to _not_ feel the Seer Sage's tentacles viciously ripping apart his cerebral matter. That was how long they had been torturing him.

"I also told you that Lord Xemnas and Vanitas were coming. All you had to do was help us stall until they got here. They wouldn't have escaped if you had just kept your vile trap shut! Aqua was going to stay and fight for her Masters! If you would have kept your big mouth shut, they would have still been here when Xemnas and Vanitas arrived then, they would have been ours!"

"Hold your tongue, Marluxia." Xemnas held up his hand. "Roxas's betrayal is almost as much your fault as it is his. You should have seen it and for that, you are guilty to some degree as well. Your many shortcomings have not gone unnoticed."

Secretly, Roxas was glad Marluxia was in trouble too. True, he wasn't the one in hot water now but he would be. His punishment wouldn't be as severe as his but he would be reprimanded for his miscalculations. He would be penalized for Aqua and Terra's escape too.

"Why, Roxas?" Xemnas cast his attention back to him, his tone almost gentle, wounded.

Marluxia knew why and Roxas knew that Marluxia knew why. He had ruthlessly picked the _'why'_ out of his brain a _long_ time ago but he'd refused to divulge it to the Dark Overlord. Marluxia wanted Roxas to take the blame, he wanted him to suffer, and he wanted him to _personally_ tell the Overlord why he did what he did.

Roxas only shook his head. They wouldn't understand even if he did tell them and even if they did, they wouldn't spare him.

"Tell us, Roxas. Tell Lord Xemnas why you helped Terra and Aqua escape with Sora and Kairi," Marluxia demanded, likely hearing the innocent thoughts swimming around inside his head. Roxas knew the Seer Sage was demanding it more to save his own hide than he did to please their sovereign.

"Shut it, s _eer_!" Vanitas spat and glared at Marluxia. "Incriminating Roxas won't make your abilities any less useless."

"I did nothing wrong!" Marluxia bit back and Roxas noticed he sounded frazzled and maybe a touch desperate. Normally, the seer would be too good to even humor Vanitas with a response. Something wasn't quite right with Marluxia of late. Now that he thought about it, all the Seer Sages had been struggling lately. They had been out of sorts and making mistakes and miscalculations ever since Aqua escaped.

"Enough!" Xemnas boomed. "Leave us."

Vanitas shoved Marluxia out of the cell and Roxas was sure one of them would probably die on the other side of that door. Those two loathed each other.

"I understand what you did. Marluxia has explained your guilt and faults a hundred times but what I don't understand is why. I would expect this kind of behavior from anyone but you. So why. Why did you do it? Why did you help them when you know the repercussions for such actions!"

"I just…I…I didn't think it was right…" Roxas reluctantly admitted. "I felt compelled to help them. For the first time in my life, I _truly_ and wholeheartedly felt like I was on the wrong side and I wanted to take a stand for what I thought was right… I've stood back and watched all of you do things.. _.horrible_ things and I have even helped you do them but I just couldn't stand back and watch it anymore...not when I could do something to help put an end to it. What you are doing in the Dark Realm is wrong. What you have been doing to Children of Light is wrong...and what you wanted to do to them was wrong..."

"Did Terra feed you this nonsense?"

"No."

"Do you regret what you did?"

"No. I believe that I did the right thing in the end. Kairi didn't deserve to be here. Aqua didn't deserve to be rehabilitated and I didn't think any of them deserved the death I knew would be dealt to them if I hadn't warned them."

"That's too bad because your sacrifice and treachery was in vain. I don't know what kind of absurd notion you brewed up in that bright little head of yours about right and wrong and brighter futures for everyone or whatever lunacy compelled you to side with a deserter and Children of Light, but if you thought they were going to escape and change the world for the better you are sorely mistaken. Ansem, Xigbar, and Demyx are waiting for them in Oerba and this time, you won't be there to help them."

* * *

It hurt. _Everything_ hurt; her head, her back, her arms, her legs. Everything.

Aqua groaned and rolled on the uneven terrain beneath her as she slowly regained consciousness.

She was lying on a heap of rocks and bits of asphalt. She could feel sharp glass shards underneath her as well. Her unconventional bed was nothing but barbs and rough edges, and it did nothing to ease her suffering.

Her groan grew louder as she slowly shifted on her back. Movement was doing nothing for the pain that racked almost every inch of her body.

She panted for breath in a vain attempt to sooth the agony that was all over her like an animal.

Aqua couldn't remember what had happened, where she was, or how she had gotten there. If it weren't for the pain, she would have thought herself dead.

As she lied on her back and stared blankly at the sliver of sable sky above her, she began to regain pieces of what had happened to her. Bit-by-bit, everything began crawling back into her desecrated cranium.

She and Terra had gone to the desert prison in Palamecia, they saved Sora and Kairi, and they traveled back to Kaipo, found Anna and Tellah…

Aqua winced at the memory.

After that, she recalled journeying to the Great Forest of Moore then, they traveled to Oerba and found Xigbar and…

She suddenly remembered _everything_ , Demyx's death, Sora being knocked out, and finally, Ansem kicking her and Terra into the ravine she was in currently.

_Terra…_

Unhurriedly, Aqua writhed on the ground, trying to find a pleasant way to get up and came to the conclusion that there wasn't one. Her head spun, her brain did violent somersaults into every corner of her brain as she sat upright, and she suddenly felt nauseous.

Her palms were being cut by glass to top it all off, so she reached into her pocket for a Potion or Hi-Potion. She needed to treat herself before she tried to do anything else.

When she reached into her pocket, her hand was met with nothing but glass shards that felt a lot like the ones underneath her. Apparently, during her fall, all of her Potions and Hi-Potions had shattered.

_I guess that explains all the glass._

"T-Terra…" Aqua coughed and managed to get onto all fours, but once she got there, she couldn't do much else.

Before she panicked about her lack of medical treatment, it occurred to her that she should be grateful that her Potions had broken. Apparently, their contents had gotten onto her body and had healed some of her wounds. If they hadn't busted, the ugly wound in her side, which was mending, could have easily bled her to death before she ever came to.

"…Terra," she called a little louder but he wasn't answering her.

Aqua began worming her way through the blackness as her eyes adjusted to their new dreary habitat. She could only see shapes and shadows and everything else was dark. She was getting a good impression of what it was like to be blind. After that fall, she was surprised she wasn't.

Casting her gaze up, she realized how far they had fallen. This gorge was almost as wide as it was deep.

"Terra, where are you?" she called again, almost sobbing.

She was afraid. She would admit that. She was in a gorge, she was hurt (although she didn't know how badly), she didn't know how long she had been unconscious, she had no way of healing herself, and Terra wasn't answering her. All of that piled together made Aqua afraid. At least she was brave enough to admit she was afraid. She wasn't a complete coward.

Shaking hands grazed over the uneven, moist terrain in search of something, anything that might help her or that could be attached to Terra. Eventually, her hand came into contact with something that wasn't Terra and wasn't quite glass but she knew it wasn't a rock.

Aqua's eyes adjusted to the blackness and the moonlight revealed a Wayfinder dully shimmering beneath her fingertips. Instinctively, she reached into her pocket, but her Wayfinder was still there, safely tucked away next to her hip.

After blinking a few times, she realized this Wayfinder was…orange. The Wayfinder lying on the ground was the Wayfinder she had made for Terra.

_He kept it…_

"Terra!" Aqua pulled the Wayfinder off the ground and held it to her heart before tenderly putting it in her pocket.

She crawled around in the dark trench for what seemed like a short eternity until she found a soft, oddly shaped rock. This particular rock was taking weak, labored breaths.

_Oh, no…_

"Terra," she repeated his name for the umpteenth time as she finally managed to touch him.

He was cold. He was lying lifelessly on his back on top of a pile of jagged rocks next to one of the caverns walls and it seemed like he was only taking in breath every other minute.

Frantically, and in spite of the pain, Aqua shifted behind him and looped her arms underneath his and tried to drag him away from the walling and into the moonlight where she could see him better. Plus, she needed to get him off those razor-edged rocks and out of that murky puddle he was lying in. If he was cold, he didn't need to be damp _and_ cold.

"Terra." Aqua rolled him over and propped him up on a nearby rock, one that wasn't sharp. Her voice was breaking as she gently slapped his cheeks and held his limp head up. "Come on, Terra."

He was pale, _very_ pale.

She took a few shaky breaths to calm herself and tried to figure out what she needed to do. She couldn't panic. She needed her wits.

Shakily, she placed her hands on Terra's torso and closed her eyes. She tried to connect with her inner healer so she could examine his injuries. She did her best to perform a type of healer x-ray that _usually_ occurred when using white magic. Her hands wandered over his abdomen and sides in search of injuries.

She found plenty. Terra's ribs were shattered and his spine had multiple fractures. He was basically in pieces and he probably had internal bleeding as well. It was hard for her to tell but she assumed that a few of his busted ribs were digging into his lungs.

"Oh, Light, Terra!" she scolded as she took one of his hands and held it to her face. "Why did you do this to yourself!? Why did you do that for me...?"

Aqua sniffled and wiped at tears that weren't falling as she tried to control her trembling.

Terra needed healing, _badly_ but she couldn't heal him and all of her Potions were gone.

His faint, gurgling breathing grew slower by the second and the hand she held against her face was growing colder and colder. Death was spreading. Its unwavering grip was tightening around him. She had to do something.

While his breathing slowed, Aqua's sped up to an alarming rate. She released his hand and began gently slipping his red suspenders off his shoulders.

As she wriggled his flaccid arms out of them she realized she had never seen him like this. He had never been this vulnerable, not even when he slept. Terra had been a lot of things around her but utterly and completely vulnerable was never one of them. She _hated_ seeing him like this.

"Don't freak out…but I'm going to take your shirt off," she said as if he could hear her. "I'm going to try to heal you…and I'm thinking that if I'm as close to you as possible…it might to do more good and I might be able to connect with your body so that I can heal you… Okay?"

He didn't answer. She hadn't expected him to but talking this out was making her feel better. She wanted to at least pretend he was listening.

Tenderly, Aqua slipped her hands into the top of his pants, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and lifted it off of his head. As she did this, it occurred to her that she had never really undressed a man before.

_Congratulations, Terra. You have successfully stolen yet another first from my future lover. He won't be the first man I share a bed with and he won't be the first man I have partially undressed…_

Once she shirt was gone, he almost lobbed over but she caught him before he fell to the ground. He fell against her instead and he was so cold… Terra wasn't supposed to be cold, especially with his shirt off.

As gently as she could, Aqua supported his head and rested his upper body against the rock again. After he was in place, she ran her hands down his bruised and mangled torso and realized he wasn't nearly as ripped and muscular as he was the last time she saw him with his shirt off. He had lost some of his tone but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, were this situation not so dire and glum, she would have admired the change because he looked… _human_. He didn't look like a malicious suit of metal.

Closing her eyes, Aqua prepared to cast Curaga. She tried to remember what Tellah had told her and she tried to forget how urgent and grim this was. She tried to forget the need to heal Terra and focus on the want. This didn't need to be a means to an end. She needed to do this because she cared, not because she had to. But that was so hard to do when she knew for a fact that Terra would die if she didn't do this.

The first wave of Cure swelled inside her and traveled through her hands and made its way onto Terra but it rolled off of his form like water.

"No… No. No. No." She started to panic. If he died, it would be all her fault.

Her spells continued to roll off of Terra's spiritless body. She wasn't healing him and as she touched him, she felt more his life force slowly yet surely leaving his body. He was slipping away.

"No, Terra! Don't you dare leave me! If you leave me, I will bring you back just so I can kill you for leaving me here by myself!"

Tears were flowing freely now as she realized she was helpless to save him. He was going to die right in front of her. She would hear his final breath and feel his last heartbeat throb against her hand.

Suddenly, Aqua couldn't breath herself. She was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"You can't…you can't…" She shook her head and tried again although the ceaseless conjuring was making her light-headed.

Aqua tried to think of something, _anything_ that would make this spell work. She thought about what she and Tellah had talked about, she thought about her mother, her grandmother, she thought of the times she had healed others, and she tried to think of this spell the way she used to. She tried to see this as an act of compassion, of warmth, and of tenderness.

She broke. Instead of pulling herself together like she needed to, she was falling apart and she couldn't stop sobbing.

"I-I can't lose you…" she whispered so softly she wasn't sure if she thought it or said it.

Every emotion imaginable was swelling up inside her and she felt like she would burst if she felt one more sentiment. She stopped thinking about the need and the calculation behind it because she couldn't think anymore at all. She could only feel. There was nothing left for her to do.

Her mind overflowed with memories of Terra, good and bad. She tried to figure out what losing him would mean but she couldn't do it. She refused to see it. It was impossible for her to. Terra was invincible, inhuman. Things like this didn't happen to him.

Aqua's heart couldn't hold the agony anymore. It couldn't hold _anything_ anymore. It ruptured as she cried and it felt like a barrier was being destroyed. Everything she ever felt for Terra, everything she had repressed, everything she had frozen inside of herself so she could cope, everything she had forgotten about the instant her whole world fell apart a year ago went into this one spell. It was as if the uproar of emotions churning inside her had triggered it all without her even giving consent.

It started in her sternum and as it swelled throughout her chest, the sensation reminded Aqua of the feeling she always got when Terra held her, played with her hair, or the time he kissed her. It burned and tingled and Aqua felt like she was on fire and that fire felt like the fire he always prodded in her, the fire he seared into her flesh.

The spell moved from her chest to her arms, through her palms, and down into her fingertips before finally seeping into Terra's skin. It glowed so brightly that it almost lit up the entire cavern. It was Curaga and it was full of life. It held every hue of green and yellow imaginable before all of it went into his body. Aqua had given this to him just as she would give someone a hug or a kiss and suddenly, it felt… _right_. It wasn't cold. It was warm. She didn't do it because she needed to; she did it because she genuinely and wholeheartedly wanted to. She did it because she cared about him and didn't want to lose him.

She was sure that spell was right. Deep down she knew it had worked. There was no mistaking that feeling, but she could still be too late. He was so close to death she knew that there was still a possibility that the spell, although it was properly cast, wouldn't heal him. It wouldn't heal him if he were too close to death.

Terra inhaled and exhaled. His breathing no longer sounded like a death gurgle and it looked like he was taking in deeper breaths.

"Come on, Terra. Stay with me," she begged and ran another wave of Curaga over his battered sides.

Terra moved a little and took in a sharp breath. He grunted a bit before his breathing became labored. He was slipping again. The life she pumped into him wasn't enough to counter what was persistently being taken out of him.

"You have to help me. Okay? Do you hear me?" she chastised and continued to cast any variation of healing she could on him even though she felt she would pass out at any moment. She was spreading herself too thin but it didn't matter, not when Terra's life was at stake.

"You have to meet me halfway. You have to fight. You need to have the will to live, Terra. I can only do so much…"

Aqua looped her arms under his and lifted him off the stone again. She shifted his dead weight around and seriously wished he _wasn't_ twice her size. Pulling him up, she positioned him so he was leaning forward. She used her own body to support his and moved tediously so that his head was resting on her shoulder.

"There you go," she grunted as his bodyweight rested against her. "Now I can work on your back."

One of her hands found the back of his neck so that he wouldn't fall over while her other hand left a trail of spells along his back.

She was hoping that by working on his back, she would make more of a difference and find the injury that was sucking the most life out of him since treating his chest and abdomen wasn't working like it needed to in order to save his life.

Aqua remembered most of the damage going to his back because he was shielding her. This led her to believe that if she worked on his back, he would be able to ward off death's touch more effectively.

Her hand slid up and down his busted vertebral column and she could feel the fractures. His skin was bumpy and she could feel the broken bones. It was enough to make her stomach roll. If he wasn't a Dark Knight and hadn't gone through all that body hardening training and mastery, Aqua was sure he would already be dead. She was actually… _grateful_ he had been a Dark Knight.

He was warming up a little, but he was still too cold for her liking. She started having doubts and began wondering if she was too late and that she was his only life support. If that were the case, Terra would die when and if she stopped. What if she wasn't healing him? What if she was only sustaining him?

All of those fears and doubts kept running through her head as she proceeded to mend any and every injury she could pick up, ceaselessly giving anything and everything she had to him. She would let him suck her life force dry if that was what it took to save him and it was starting to feel like it might. She was getting closer and closer to passing out from her own pains, injuries, and the exertion healing Terra caused.

"I meant what I said," she whispered into his ear, her hand leaving the back of his neck to wander into his hair. "If you die, I'll bring you back just so I can kill you again."

Terra was heavy against her. All of his weight was bearing down on her as her fingers weaved in and out of his soft hair. His hair felt just like she remembered...

"Who will I fight with if you're gone?" Aqua chuckled a little in spite of herself. Perhaps because she was getting tired, really tired. She was running out of energy and her spells were losing their efficiency. She would be forced to stop soon.

"No one ticks me off like you do," she continued rambling although she doubted he could hear her.

His breathing was slow and uneven. He would gasp against her occasionally and she could feel some warmth returning to the cheek that rested on her shoulder and against her neck. His face was turned away from hers so she could easily feel his breath slithering down her shoulder and she shivered as she felt him warming up against her.

Aqua's hand wandered further into his dark mane and she pulled him closer to her.

She couldn't conjure anymore. The rest was up to him. Now, all she could do was wait.

"I've done all I can for you…so you need to help yourself now… I need you to get through his, Terra."

Aqua played with his hair and continued to rub his back although she was no longer healing him. She forgot how much she liked running her fingers through his hair, how much she liked feeling him breathe, how much she liked having him against her…

Her head rested against the back of his and she closed her eyes.

"I know…I know we have had our differences…I know I have said a lot of mean things to you…but we have been through a lot together…and despite what you may think, I don't want you to die." She grabbed a handful of his hair and she tried to meld against him as much as humanly possible She buried her face in his shoulder and cried softly into it. "You're so stubborn, hateful, rude, cruel, and you were pretty much the _worst_ knight in shining armor ever…but…but you were still… _my_ knight…"

She let him rest against her like that for a long time while she did nothing but sit there with her hand running through his hair and the other resting on his back. The only sound around them was Terra's shallow breathing and the heartbeat she felt thumping against her shoulder.

"Say something. Please," Aqua begged when the silence was too much, rubbing his back coarsely as if it would cause him to stir. "Anything…"

"Are… Are…we dead?" he rasped dryly, his tone almost sarcastic.

"Not quite," was all she was able to muster as she smiled and nestled her face into his neck. At that moment, she was sure there was no greater sound on earth than the sound of that man's voice.

"Mm," he grumbled, his voice vibrated against her. She couldn't help but close her eyes and indulge in it. "I didn't think so… If we were dead…we probably wouldn't have ended up in the same place…"

Aqua gave a stale chuckle before she ran a quick Cure over the back of his head. If he was joking, he was _clearly_ suffering from a concussion or brain injury. Terra never joked unless he was really drunk or really out of it.

He mumbled something indecipherable and probably incoherent into her shoulder as the spell took root in his head.

She was expecting him to get off her but he seemed content to just rest against her like that, which was fine with her. However, she did tense when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She took in a sharp, pained breath as he pulled her against him and she found she couldn't release it.

Terra was definitely warming up because she couldn't stop shivering. She really hoped he was too out of it to feel it.

After a few moments in his arms and after Terra sobered a bit, he finally spoke again.

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so…but I have you to thank for that…"

Terra nodded against her and decided he should probably spare her this unpleasant physical interaction, considering how she felt about him and his touch. He shifted against her and once he reluctantly let go of her waist, he recognized the sensation of being…healed?

His brow furrowed. "Did you heal me?"

"Yes," she answered softly and put a short lock of blue behind one of her ears.

"…How?" he inquired as he pulled away from her neck but he didn't really have the strength to move anymore so it left them only a breath apart.

"You were dying… I-I had to…" Tears swelled in her weary eyes.

"You…you got your white magic back?"

Her gaze wandered to the dank ground around them before she nodded.

Terra could see that he had scared her. Had he been that bad off? He knew the fall was bad and he was pretty sore but surely he wasn't about to die!

"Did I scare you?" His voice was low and husky.

"Yes…"

"I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, but don't make a habit of having near death experiences," she scolded and gave him a quick glance.

_I don't think I can take it…_ she added privately.

"I'll try not to." He flashed her his best smile, and he thought he saw her blushing. "Thank you."

Terra leaned toward her and she could feel his breath against her lips and his hair brushing against her cheek, mingling in with her own.

"…Y-You're welcome," she breathed, shying away from his advance.

He was _positive_ she was blushing now.

She began shying away from him but he saw the slightest hesitation when she did so and that was all he needed.

Without giving it a second thought, he followed her and captured her lips with his.

Aqua squeaked but she didn't pull away. After the initial shock of being kissed faded, she closed her eyes and returned the gesture.

Unlike the first time he kissed her, this time, she was even more responsive. Instead of going through the motions like she had during their first kiss, she reciprocated with more vigor than hesitation. She was more confident in the action this time, but she was still a bit timid.

Meekly, Aqua's hands traveled up his chest and to his neck before they slowly proceeded to delve up and into his hair. If Terra had the energy to growl, he would have.

He wasn't sure how, but this kiss managed to be better than the first one and the first one had been amazing. Again, he found himself thinking that this woman was perfect for him. She coaxed more out of him with a kiss than any other woman _ever_ had in his bed.

Aqua felt his arms winding around her again and she also felt her face heating as he pulled her into his lap. Her stomach was in knots and her legs were tingling and shaking like jelly as she sat astride his hips.

Terra realized he was being a bit forward by putting her in his lap but he needed her closer and the only way to do that was to make her straddle him.

Her fingers pulled at his hair and curled against the back of his neck as it finally started to sink in that she really was kissing Terra, again. She decided she had no self-control anymore. The first time this happened he caught her off guard, but this time she saw it coming and still did nothing to stop it. She had no excuse this time, except maybe that she was so grateful he was alive she didn't have the heart to reject him?

Unhurriedly, their lips parted, leaving them both drunk and gasping for air.

That was probably a bit much for a man who was recovering from a near death experience, but he started it!

_Yeah, but you didn't stop it,_ chided the arrogant voice inside Aqua's head.

Aqua's face was bright red and Terra couldn't help but find this cute. He would have admired it more but he suddenly felt dizzy and _really_ tired, so he settled for resting his head on her shoulder again instead. He found he liked doing so. It was almost like having her wrap her arms around him. It was still only a substitute for a real embrace but it would have to do.

"We…may have overdone it," Terra teased again just before he passed out.

* * *

Absentmindedly, Aqua played with Terra's dark hair as his head rested in her lap. After he passed out, she had carefully repositioned him. She let him lay down but she kept his head in her lap so she could watch his hair slip through her fingers.

Now that she didn't have to worry about Terra anymore, she had to worry about everything else, like how they were going to get out of this pit, how long had they been there, what had happened to Kairi and Sora, were Heartless in this crevasse, what had happened to the others, would they know where to look for them if they were alive?

The despairing questions kept piling up and all Aqua could do was carelessly run her fingers through Terra's hair and stare at the sliver of gray sky above them. For some reason, playing with his hair calmed her raw nerves, which would explain why she was doing it so much...

They were in no position to work their way out of this trench. She barely was and Terra certainly wasn't and he would have to do most of the work. The only way she saw them getting out of there was if Terra used his earth magics to make some kind of ladder or climbable structure along the walling, but she doubted Terra was capable of that. She'd treated him but she hadn't treated him quick enough, so the healing process would take longer and occur at a more natural rate.

Aqua cast her gaze back down to the ex-knight and wondered if he would remember their kiss when he woke up. He was a bit confused and irrational when he came to the first time, so she wouldn't be surprised if he had no memory of it. She'd decided that she would be fine with either outcome.

Despite the whirlwind of fears and questions, the kiss was still fresh on her mind and his taste was still in her mouth and on her lips. She could still feel his warm lips and his hands…

After she escaped Hollow Bastion, she'd missed him physically before she'd missed him emotionally. She'd admitted to herself that she missed their nights together when he kept her warm and she either rested on his chest or he held her from behind. The physical aspect of their… _relationship_ was easier to swallow somehow. It was easier for her to admit that she had grown accustomed to his body rather than… _him_.

Acknowledging that he was handsome and had a nice body was easy because it was true and painfully obvious. There was also no misinterpreting the way she felt when he held her, kissed her, or touched her. Her body was easily convinced that Terra was a _good_ thing. He warmed her up in all the right ways, made her shiver in subconscious, devious delight, released rabid butterflies into her stomach, and made her feel funny but good all at the same time. That was almost easy to accept even before she'd escaped.

Physically, whatever it was between them was easy. Her body only knew him to be pleasurable but what she knew in her mind, what she remembered, and what she felt in her confused heart. That was what tormented her to no end. Too bad it couldn't always keep her body from continually betraying her.

"You should sleep," Terra said without opening his eyes.

"I'm not tired."

"Still." He sat up and lazily moved to the nearby rock he had rested against while she healed him. "Come here." His finger curled as he gestured for her to come to him.

With neither the strength nor the desire to argue with him, she did as he instructed and laid her head on his chest for the first time in months. She instinctively conformed to his body and his arm curved around the small of her back, pulling her farther onto his chest.

Her body remembered what to do. It remembered how he felt and how to perfectly use his body as a pillow. Although he was a bit softer now than he had been the last time she'd rested on him. It felt so good being that close to him again...and it did nothing to ease her raging inner turmoil but it did make her feel better.

Yes, she definitely missed the physical part of their relationship before she missed the emotional. She missed his touch before she missed the rest of him…but little by little she realized she had just missed him… _all of him_ …

* * *

"You kept it…" Aqua said softly as she sat on her knees and massaged another round of Curaga into Terra's tender torso.

"What?" Terra's frowned and his brow furrowed as he writhed under her hands.

Aqua had decided it was easier to treat an unconscious Terra than it was to treat a conscious one. Conscious Terra grimaced and complained a lot.

"The Wayfinder I left for you. You kept it…"

Terra's eyes went wide and he looked like he was about to say something until she felt one of his ribs snap back into place.

"Fuck!" He threw his head back and bludgeoned the ground beneath him with his tightly clenched fists. "Enough! Enough! You're doing more harm than good!"

"It's going to hurt before it gets better!" Aqua crossed her arms in frustration.

There was a moment of strained silence before she reached into her pocket and offered the orange Wayfinder to him.

Terra swallowed hard, sat upright against his rock, and gingerly took the Wayfinder from her.

"You kept it…why? I thought you would—"

_"Aqua!"_

The voice came from overhead and Aqua leapt to her feet instantly. It sounded a lot like Ventus.

"Ven?!" she shouted toward the sky. "Ven! We're down here!"

"Aqua?" he yelled and she could almost make out his silhouette looking down at them. "Are you alright?"

"Kind of!"

"Just hang tight! We're going to get you out! Is Terra down there with you?"

"Yes! But he's really hurt!" Aqua stated and Terra snorted in disagreement. He clearly didn't think he was _that_ bad off.

Ven didn't answer her directly but she was pretty sure she heard him tell someone that they were going to need _a lot_ of rope.

* * *

A lot of rope, scrap metal, and cursing later, Aqua's party was able to fish her and a very muddled Terra out of the crevasse with a manmade pulley they pieced together. It took _a lot_ of time and a lot of effort but they managed to get them out.

Aqua sat at the kitchen table in their temporary dwelling with a wooly blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Kairi kept insisting that you two were in that hole," Ventus said as he took seat next to Aqua in the pew that surrounded the kitchen table. "I'm ashamed to say we didn't believe her at first given her… _condition_ , but she was right."

"What happened…? Ansem was here. Sora was unconscious and he was going to…"

Ven squeezed her hand. "We heard the struggle and we came to help but by the time we got there, you and Terra were gone, Ansem had Kairi, and Sora was out cold. The man with one eye was about to shoot him in the head but we managed to stop him. Before it was over we even had Ansem on the run but I think that was probably because his main goal was to kill you two."

"How did they get away?" Aqua rubbed her temples.

"Ansem used some kind of…spell," Riku replied from across the room. "When they realized we had them outnumbered, they ran like cowards."

"You're lucky Riku and I came back a few days ago. I don't think Ven and Xion could have taken them alone…" Naminé added as she sat in the floor with Sora, attempting to treat his head.

"So Kairi is okay?" Aqua asked for probably the millionth time.

"Yes," said Xion with a nod and a small smile. "She is confused and doesn't remember any of us but other than that, she's fine. Tired but fine."

Aqua nodded. "So…how did things go with Mona?"

Naminé released Sora's temples, sighed, and looked back at Riku. She gave him a look that said: _'Do you want to tell her or do you want me to?'_

Riku shrugged. "We couldn't find her."

Aqua jerked. "What do you mean you couldn't find her?"

"We couldn't find her. She wasn't there. It was like she vanished," he reiterated.

"Do you think she…?" Aqua couldn't say it. She just hoped they understood her implication.

"We don't know. All of her things were still there… We asked around but no one knew where she went or what happened to her," Naminé replied, delicately folding her hands in her lap.

"It had Dark Rule written all over it. People mysteriously _'vanish'_ all the time." Riku leaned against a nearby wall. "Just like we thought you and Terra _'vanished.'_ "

"So…what now?" Aqua sighed.

"For starters, Sora needs a haircut…" Riku sneered.

" _I_ need a haircut!?" Sora huffed. "Your hair is longer than mine!"

"No, I'm serious. What are we going to do now?" Aqua knew Sora and Riku were just glad to see each other again but she was not in the mood for jokes.

"The way I see it we only have three options." Riku began counting on his fingers. "One, we can run for the rest of our lives. Two, we can go to Naefre and talk to DiZ. And three, we can go to the Opposition."

"I don't want to do any of that…" Aqua groaned and laid her head down on the table.

"Four, we could be killed by the Dark Rule," Riku added.

The room fell silent.

"Well… What do you guys want to do?" Aqua's eyes traveled around the room. They darted from Ventus who sat beside her, to Xion who was now sitting on the kitchen counter, to Riku who was propped against the wall by the entrance, and finally to Naminé and Sora who sat in the floor across from one another.

Everyone gave her the same perplexed and lost look she gave them.

"Joining the Opposition should probably be our last resort…" Aqua was in no hurry to jump into that fray, especially after what just happened to her. She wanted to avoid anything and everything regarding the Dark Rule and that included joining a supposedly violent and open resistance against them.

"Besides, I doubt the Opposition would take Kairi like she is now. She is in no position to be thrown into that…" Aqua sounded like her mother but in a way, she kind of was. "And Terra…"

"They'll take Terra," Riku assured her. He didn't hesitate at all. He was clearly _very_ confident in his answer.

"I wasn't worried about that. I was just going to say that he won't be able to do much for a while. He is pretty messed up," Aqua didn't sound like his mother…she sounded like his…

Aqua inwardly shook her head before the word _'wife'_ or any other word implying significant other popped into her head.

"Speaking of which…" Ven rubbed the back of his neck. "How did he manage to survive that fall? How did _you_ manage to survive it?"

"Terra took the blunt of the damage for me. He went down first and essentially broke my fall. He was dying when I came to but I managed to cure him." Aqua rubbed her throbbing head. She was starting to think that her damaged brain might ooze out of her ears.

"You healed him?" Naminé's blonde head popped up.

Aqua nodded.

"You got your magic back?" Riku inquired enthusiastically as his arms unfolded and he took a step towards her.

"Mm."

"How did you manage that?" Ventus asked, an eager smile smearing across his face.

Aqua's head was splitting and all these questions weren't helping. Everyone was so loud and the lights were too bright…

"I was just able to remember how I used to do it. I did it because I wanted to, not because I needed to. It was like a barrier broke. It was weird but liberating. It was like I was able to get in touch with a part of myself that I had forgotten about…"

"That's great!" Naminé held her folded her hands over her heart. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank you, but back to the matter at hand." Aqua didn't want to talk about how she got her white magic back anymore. That was an area she wasn't comfortable thinking about, much less talking about. She kind of wanted to leave what happened in that crevasse, in that crevasse. Subconsciously, she cast her gaze back to the bedroom where Terra was sleeping.

_Well, most of what happened anyway…_

"I kind of think that we should see DiZ at some point," Riku stated.

"You want to take our scourge to Naefre? You want to bring Naefre into this?" Aqua asked, her hands shielding her eyes as if the sun was blinding her as she looked across the room at him.

"Naefre is already in it. Remember when we were in Doma? You heard Vanitas and Xemnas talking about going to Naefre. That was a while back, which means they have already been there and that means something bad has probably already happened there," Riku countered coolly.

Aqua could tell that Riku wanted to check on DiZ and she didn't really blame him. Were she in his position, she would be demanding to return to her home and Master as well.

"Do you think it's safe?" Xion asked calmly, the back of her heels banging into the cabinets beneath the counter she sat on.

"About as safe as anywhere else. You wanna get technical, there isn't really a safe place for the likes of us anymore…" Riku replied with brutal honesty.

"Maybe… Maybe DiZ can tell us what we should do?" Naminé inquired softly. "DiZ has never been anything but helpful to us in the past."

"That's what I was counting on." Riku smiled a little.

They had good points. They really did but the thought of running off to Naefre, which could be an occupied city by now, almost gave Aqua an aneurism.

"When do you want to leave?" Aqua asked as she rubbed her burning bloodshot eyes.

"As soon as possible. They think you and Terra are dead but they know we are alive and they know we are here. We need to move before they bring a swarm of Dark Knights to finish us off." Riku drummed his fingers on his arms.

"How…" Aqua rasped and cleared her throat. "How long will it take us to get there…?"

"A while. It depends on how quickly we move." Riku shrugged. "It's hard to say exactly… You know, since Kairi and Terra aren't in good shape. "

"I guess the stops in between will give Kairi enough time to recover…" Aqua didn't want to send Kairi out on another journey halfway across the world but she didn't really have a choice. They couldn't stay in Oerba. Maybe once they reached Naefre she could finally rest and maybe someone in Naefre could help treat her. She had to do what was best for _everyone_ and if going to Naefre was what was best, then she would go. No questions asked.

"We'll take care of her. We'll stop as much as we have to. We won't make her do anything too strenuous," Ven patted Aqua's back.

"And I'll treat her as much as I can," Naminé added, "I'll work on Sora and Terra too. They aren't doing too well either."

"I can hear you. I'm not _that_ bad off." Sora crossed his arms over his chest as he gave Naminé a playful glare.

"Have you seen a mirror lately?" Riku jeered.

Everyone laughed at the face Sora made at Riku and even Aqua couldn't help but smile.

* * *

It was nightfall when Terra finally woke. Everyone else was asleep and the lights inside the dwelling were off. He was relieved to see that they hadn't abandoned him while he was out. He was also relieved to see that they hadn't left him to die in that hole in the road.

Terra grimaced as he remembered the fall, as the persistent pain it had caused seeped back into his aching bones.

He shifted onto his back and almost bit his tongue in two to keep from howling in agony. It hurt more than he thought it would.

He was pretty sure Aqua had healed him during their time in the crevasse, but the past few days were kind of a blur and he wasn't a hundred percent on anything. He was struggling to separate hallucinations and dreams from reality. Everything was running together.

It was undeniable that he had fallen in that crevasse in the street. The screaming in his head and the misery in his back confirmed that. Someone had healed him. The tingling and the uncomfortable tenderness in his nerves, muscles, and bones told him that. What his body _wasn't_ telling him was if he had kissed and effectively violated Aqua again or if he had dreamt it up while he floated in and out of consciousness. Both were strong possibilities.

With a wince and a stifled groan, Terra wriggled out of the bunk bed. Whoever put him there was courteous enough to put him on the bottom bunk so he could get out on his own. However, getting off the bottom bunk was still excruciating.

Once he squirmed and writhed his way back to his unstable feet, he inspected the beds around him. Xion, Naminé, Sora, Riku, and Ven were all in the other stacked beds around him, which meant Aqua and Kairi were probably in the living area.

Terra was sure his spine was in the shape of a 'C' as he stumbled across the floor at a bizarre angle. Apparently, it would take a while for his back to be restored to its former glory. Whoever healed him didn't get to him quick enough. Magic was great and did wonders but it could still only do so much. He would still hurt and he would still have to do some healing on his own. Magic was powerful but it couldn't cheat nature, not completely.

As he walked through the dwelling, Terra could swear that the world was off kilter.

The flooring was cool beneath his bare feet. He actually noticed which meant, his senses were returning to him, slowly but surely. He wasn't wearing a shirt and he assumed that was the courtesy of whoever had been healing him. He wasn't wearing shoes either, which would explain why he could feel everything under his feet.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he realized his assumption about Aqua and Kairi was correct. They were indeed in the living room. Aqua was sitting in the long couch that surrounded the kitchen table and Kairi's head was resting in her lap.

Terra was pretty sure he'd been in that position with Aqua at the bottom of that chasm not too long ago but he wasn't entirely sure. He could have easily dreamt that too.

"You should be in bed," Aqua chastised without looking at him.

In the faint light of the moon Terra could see she was running some variation of Cure over Kairi. The spell was glowing on her hands and flowing over Kairi's form in the soft lighting, which meant Aqua _had_ gotten her magic back. Clearly, he hadn't dream _that_ up, which suggested that what happened in the bottom of that ravine was... _real_...

"I've been in bed," he countered gruffly and stumbled to the sink to get water when he heard how rough his voice was.

"True, but I would still feel better if you would rest more."

"I'll go back to bed in a second, but first…we need to talk…"

Aqua blanched. He could see that even in the poor lighting around them and that answered his question. Those things _had_ happened. He _had_ kissed her again.

_Damn it…_

"Oh," she whispered and watched him intently as he tossed back his glass of water much too quickly.

"Shit," he hissed as if he had just taken a hard shot of stout vodka.

"You're still recovering. I would avoid sudden movements for a while," she whispered matter-of-factly.

Terra was still recuperating but he was finally lucid. She could see that just by looking at him. She knew that the moment he spoke. He was himself again. He was no longer the disoriented man in the bottom of the chasm, which meant the conversation they were about to have wouldn't be a pleasant one.

Honestly, Aqua was hoping they could just forget about it. A part of her was secretly hoping that he might not remember at all. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen.

She eased Kairi out of her lap and tenderly laid her across the couch before scooting over to make room for Terra. She was hoping to work on his back some if he would let her.

Terra ran an exasperated hand down his face as he walked toward her. "Did-did I? Did we? Again?"

"Yes."

The conversation didn't go any further. That was all he needed to know. He had been stupid. Again.

Aqua wanted to ask how much he remembered, how much he had heard her say. She wanted to ask. She probably _needed_ to but she didn't.

"You should sit down." She patted the seat next to her.

Obediently, Terra did as instructed and sat down. Once again, he moved too quickly and hurt himself. He grimaced and did his best to not show that he was in pain but ultimately failed.

"What is it?" he asked through gritted teeth, thinking that maybe talking would distract him from the pain.

"What's what?"

"This… _thing_ between us?"

Aqua didn't answer but she began spinning her finger around. "Turn around. I want to work on your back."

Terra shifted until his back was facing her. "Are you going to answer me?"

"I…don't know. I don't know what to tell you, Terra." Her cool hands made contact with his skin and she gently caressed his back for a moment before casting Cure on it.

She wasn't lying. She honestly didn't know what to tell him. She didn't know what the _'thing'_ between them was. It meant something completely different to both of them though. She did know that much.

Aqua massaged his mangled back even after she finished applying magics to it. Her hands continued move and her fingertips lightly roamed over the rough, damaged skin of his spine for what seemed like hours. It felt amazing so he didn't complain or ask her to stop.

"I know… I know you don't love me." Terra looked over his shoulder at her and Aqua's eyes went wide, her hands instantly stopping their ministrations.

"But…do you like me?" he added and watched her intently, a sincere and gentle look in his dark eyes.

It amazed her that although Terra had never uttered the words _'I love you'_ to her, it was so heavily implied and obvious that they both knew that he did. He never said it but it still felt like he had said it to her a million times, and she supposed in his own unique way, he had.

"…I do…from time to time," she whispered and began rubbing his back and shoulders again.

Terra nodded and cast his gaze back to the floor. It wasn't necessarily the answer he'd wanted, but it would have to do.


	39. Some Roads Lead Nowhere

* * *

_Goodbye, my almost lover_

_Goodbye, my hopeless dream_

_I'm trying not to think about you_

_Can't you just let me be?_

_So long, my luckless romance_

_My back is turned on you_

_I should've known you'd bring me heartache_

_Almost lovers always do_

_\- Almost Lover, A Fine Frenzy_

* * *

Aqua sat quietly out on the garden rooftop with Kairi. She wanted to show Kairi the flowers and the serene, tranquil setting before they left for Naefre. She also wanted to be alone for a little while.

Breakfast had been awkward. Aqua had done her best to mediate between her friends and Terra but it was hard to say the least. She barely knew how to act around Terra in general, much less around her friends! And now that they had shown affection towards one another again, she was completely clueless.

The others didn't know what happened in that gorge, but she and Terra did, which put an even bigger question mark over their relationship that no one, including her, understood. Not to mention, the night before Terra had asked to her to define said ambiguous relationship…

_What was I supposed to say? That we aren't anything? We aren't lovers. We aren't_ **t** **ogether** _. We aren't married! We are just an...almost. Not really a nothing but not quite a something. If I asked him the same question, would he have been able to answer it? Why ask me a question that he probably couldn't even answer?! I guess he was hoping I could answer…but he probably wanted a specific answer. He wants something I can't give him._

It was just a mess, a big, ugly, awkward mess, but the quiet serenity of the rooftop was sure to quell her nerves and sooth her troubled brain. Surely it could help. Anything was better than being in that house where all the questions hung thick in the air like smog.

Kairi roamed around the rooftop and bathed in the early rays of morning. Aqua was glad she was finally getting some much-deserved sunlight. Vitamin D was something she was in desperate need of.

They didn't speak much, but Aqua was surprisingly fine with that. They could still enjoy each other's company. Honestly, Aqua wasn't in a very talkative mood anyway. Her mind and her heart were all over the place. Kairi wasn't the only one who was confused.

"Here!" Kairi said cheerfully as she handed Aqua a colorful bouquet of flowers she had gathered along the rooftop.

Aqua's eyes widened, taken aback by the strange but lovely offering.

"Are these for me?" she asked respectfully but curiously. She was still a bit unsure when it came to interacting with her sister.

"I-I picked…you-you some flowers." Kairi extended the flowers closer to Aqua. "Thank you for…saving m-me." She beamed.

Aqua blinked rapidly as it sank in that her sister _finally_ realized they had saved her and that they were actually on her side.

Flashing a small smile of her own, Aqua accepted the offering. "Oh, they're lovely. You're so sweet."

Pleased with her reaction, Kairi grinned and sat down next to her on the bench.

Silently, Aqua observed the flowers for a while before picking out the prettiest and pinkest one.

She had an idea. It was a long shot and it probably wouldn't do anything, but maybe the thought that would still count.

Twirling the stem between her fingers, Aqua began freezing the flower with Blizzard until it became a perfectly crystalized blossom that sparkled against the sunlight.

Kairi watched in awe just like she had when she was a child. The look was identical to the one she'd given her the first time she had done that particular magic trick for her. It was just like traveling back in time and experiencing that particular event all over again.

"Here." Aqua handed the petrified flower to her.

"For…me?" Kairi pointed to her chest.

"Mm-hmm."

"Ice flowers…." Kairi mused and thoroughly inspected the gift. " _You_ … You made ice flowers…?"

"Hmm?" Aqua's brow creased. Kairi was speaking so softly she could hardly understand her.

Kairi's blue eyes left the frozen petals and focused on Aqua's face. "The blue hair…it was longer then…"

"Yeah, I cut it after…" Aqua ran a hand through her short tresses before she went rigid. "Wait. You remember me having long hair?"

"Y-yes?" Kairi answered with vast amounts of uncertainty and a little bit of fear.

"You remember me?" The Keyblade wielder grabbed Kairi's hand and held it over her heart.

"I remember the ice flowers…and a girl with long, blue hair… She looked like you… You remind me of her…and she made flowers just like these," she raved.

"I used to make them for you. When we were little. There was a meadow by our house." Aqua smiled at the memory. "After we did our chores, we would go out there and play in the flowers. We would pick them but you would always get sad because they would die and wilt once we took them back home. When I started learning magic, I would make them bloom, then I would freeze them for you, so you wouldn't be sad when they died."

"I think I dreamed about that once, but I thought that was all it was…a dream." The redhead looked long and hard at Aqua's features.

"…No…that was me…"

"Awa?" Kairi breathed, squeezing Aqua's cool hands.

"What did you say?" Aqua's eyes watered.

Awa. This girl…she reminded Kairi of Awa. That was why she was so familiar. Terra said that she had a sister and that Aqua was her sister but Kairi didn't make the connection until that very moment. Awa and Aqua were the same person. This was the girl who made the frozen flowers for her. This was the one who always took care of her…who was always there for her. This was Awa and Awa was her sister…and her sister…was Aqua…and _this_ was Aqua.

Kairi finally had all the pieces put together in her brain and the jumbled, broken pieces finally made a picture that made sense.

"Awa?" Kairi repeated with uncertainty as she looked up at the girl she almost thought was her sister.

"Awa?" Aqua gasped as if that word pierced her heart. "Awa! Yes! That's right! Awa! You called me Awa before you could say Aqua!"

All at once, Kairi wrapped her arms around Aqua's neck and squeezed her. The instant she wrapped her arms around her, she knew. This _was_ her sister… Her Awa…

Aqua's arms wound around her brittle waist and rested her cheek against hers. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she finally picked up the faint aroma of raspberries instead of the foul odor of nostrums.

Kairi grabbed fistfuls of the fabric that clung to Aqua's form. She was afraid this was another dream and that she would wake up cold and alone in a dreary cell again, crying for the radiant girl from her dreams who wasn't really there or didn't really exist.

She buried her face farther into Aqua's neck and cried although she wasn't sure why she was crying. Was she happy? Sad? Relieved? She didn't know but somehow it didn't matter. Awa would take care of it…of her… She always had… This was the girl who was supposed to be there and had always been there. She was there with her now and that was all that mattered. Awa would take care of the rest.

* * *

When Aqua and Kairi came back from their morning stroll to who knows where, Terra seriously considered leaving or at least telling everyone he would get out of their hair soon, so that they could all sleep easier.

While they were gone, he'd had time to stare at the bunk bed above his and come to the conclusion that he was dead weight and beyond unwanted there. He had sobered and remembered that he had done what he came to do. He had helped Aqua find Kairi and now that he had done that, he had no reason for being there. He was out of excuses for lingering around in the shadows, watching and waiting to aid a woman who would never love him. He had lost his purpose in life all over again.

"How are you feeling?" Aqua asked sincerely as she gracefully entered the room.

"Better but I still feel like shit," he admitted, throwing his arm over his eyes.

"Did Naminé come to work on you?" she asked. Her voice was soft, quiet, barely over a whisper. She probably didn't want her friends to hear her concern for the demon, lest it divulge even more of their contemptuous past together. He assumed Aqua didn't want them to see that part of her and that she would keep them from seeing it as long as she could.

"No, but I'm pretty sure it's because I've looked dead up until a few minutes ago. Naminé is too nice to disturb anyone. Even me, apparently."

He felt her weight bearing down on the mattress he lied upon then he felt her hands glide over his exposed back.

It was sweet misery, feeling her hands on him. It felt good because it was Aqua, because she was the one touching him but it was misery because the touch didn't mean what he wanted it to mean.

Her touch was misleading and poisonous, constantly reminding him of what he wanted so badly but would never have. He could kiss her, heal her, hold her, and touch her all day long, but it wouldn't make her love him. He could ravage her body, but he couldn't lay a finger on her heart. Kissing her again had proved that.

Terra could only have her in the dark but she never stayed in the dark. She was too bright. She would return to the light where she belonged and it would be as if he never laid a hand on her at all. Only they knew of the marks he left upon her body while they were in the darkness together.

"The Wayfinder…" He folded his arms under his pillow and stared blankly at the wall across from him. "In the crevasse, you asked me why I kept it."

The cool hands on his back stopped their ministrations and the current of Cure came to an abrupt halt.

"Honestly, I didn't keep it. After I ran into you in Deling, I threw it into the Palamecian Desert. I didn't want it. I didn't want anything to do with you at that point and I _definitely_ didn't want a trinket that symbolized..." He grimaced when her hands ghosted over his battered ribs and found that he couldn't bring himself to say what the Wayfinder represented.

"Then what was it doing down there with us?"

"I found it when I deserted, or maybe it found me… I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it again after that." Terra had no clue why he was telling her all this. Because she asked?

Aqua sighed. "Either way, I'm glad you kept it…"

"Why?" he mumbled.

"I wouldn't have left it for you if I didn't want you to keep it, Terra. I meant what I said and I'm glad you did find your way back to me. If you hadn't, Kairi wouldn't be here."

"Is that the only reason why?" he asked bluntly before he could stop himself. The pain and the physical interaction with her were making him a blabbermouth. He continually said things he wouldn't normally say, things he shouldn't say, things that did nothing but push her away.

"Terra," she chided and her hands detached from his back. She was done. She wouldn't work on it anymore.

Aqua shook her head and cast her gaze away from him, focusing on the opposite wall instead.

Terra could take a hint. She didn't want to talk about or confront anything that had to do with their vague relationship and what it might imply. Fine. It wasn't like he was surprised. Talking about it and confronting it would mean acknowledging that there _was_ something between them and she was clearly dead set against anything being between them. She didn't want there to be anything between them other than a brittle peace and fragile truce.

They weren't anything anymore. They weren't enemies. They weren't friends and they weren't lovers. They might as well be strangers.

That was what she wanted. She wanted the indifference and the dissociation, and because he loved her, he would give it to her. He would give her that until he was _sure_ that she and Kairi were safe then, he would leave. He would let her go and he would stop dragging her down into the dark with him. She deserved that. She deserved her prince charming, the guy Vanitas talked about, the guy that _wasn't_ him.

* * *

After realizing Aqua was her sister and remembering her as such, Kairi did nothing but improve physically and mentally. Bit by bit, she regained her personality and the tiny, unintelligible puzzle pieces that made up her brain began to reappear. Every day, she aged mentally and grew closer and closer to her former self. Her progress was slow, but it was still progress. However, she still didn't really remember anyone other than Aqua, Sora, and Terra.

Kairi didn't remember the others but she still liked them. The affection and attachment she felt for them in the past was there even if the memories of them weren't clear yet. The jumbled, scattered puzzle pieces that made up her brain were almost visible again but she still wasn't quite sure where they all were or where to put them to make the picture that would show her life.

They were traveling through some place called the Mi'ihen Highroad. There were things called Heartless there. At least, that was what everyone told her the black things with yellow eyes were.

Kairi began noticing things _; really_ noticing them and she noticed powerful people surrounded her. Most of them carried big key-shaped swords and all of them used some variation magic, like the magic she saw Aqua use and the magic she remembered her doing when they were little.

Instinctively, Kairi looked down at her own barren hands as she rode atop Aqua's chocobo. Could she use magic? Or was she the only one who couldn't? Even Sora could do a little. He couldn't a few days ago but it seemed like he could now…

"C-Can…I use magic?" Kairi asked vacantly, her eyes traveling over the grotesque marks on her arms.

Everyone froze and looked back at her. Then, everyone's gaze turned to Aqua.

"Yes," Aqua replied softly. "Yes, you can."

"…How…?" Kairi whispered, her eyes wandering over her sister's solemn face. Her eyes darted to Terra and he had a strange look on his face. He looked like he was suppressing a cringe.

Aqua took a few steps toward her. "It will probably come back with the rest of your memories. You know how things are slowly coming back to you?"

Kairi nodded.

"I'm sure your memory of it and how to use it will come back with everything else. It might just…take a while."

Kairi couldn't count how many times she had heard everyone say that. They said it in response to almost all the questions and worries she had. It made sense but she was growing tired of hearing it.

"Want to try to cast?" Sora offered cheerfully.

Kairi smiled and nodded feverishly as Riku grabbed her waist helped her wriggle her way off Snow. She reached up and patted his cheek in appreciation once she got down, causing Riku to grin at her. As she touched his cheek, she recalled spending a lot of time with him on a beach with Sora.

Further down the dirt road, Terra was getting twitchy. He was pacing like he knew something bad was coming, or maybe he was just sore. He had been exceptionally grumpy lately. Kairi figured he was grumpy because he was hurt. She always got grumpy when she had boo-boos or if she was sick.

"She should be able to by now, right?" Sora asked and everyone except Terra shrugged.

"If you can, she should be able to too," Aqua responded. "You two were imprisoned around the same time. You were actually in there longer than she was. So if the suppressant is out of your system, it should be out of hers too. Oh, and start with Fire, that was what she conjured first."

Sora nodded and everyone, except Terra, began preaching to her about the basics of Fire. Kairi took everyone's advice and she began trying to shoot the magic from her hands as the others did, but nothing ever happened. She couldn't even muster a puff of smoke…

"That's strange," Aqua mused.

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"Because…" Aqua sighed. "Before you were imprisoned, you had progressed farther than the rest of us, magically. You had learned more than we had. Things always came easier for you because you weren't afraid… That was part of the reason you were taken away."

Aqua shook her head when she caught herself rambling. "Anyway, my point is, your body knows how to do these things even if you don't. You still have muscle memory. You were talented and your body should remember that, so there should be no reason you shouldn't be able to conjure _something_ …"

Kairi watched her sister blanche and clench her jaw before she glared daggers at Terra.

"What do you know? What did they give her?" Aqua demanded, her voice icy and cold as she fearlessly stormed up to the tall man.

"This and that," he answered vaguely.

His response made Aqua angry. It grew cold. Kairi could see their breath and she could see her sister's hands clenching at her sides.

"Don't test me, Terra! What did they give her?" Aqua almost roared.

Kairi decided that Aqua liked yelling at Terra.

"You know what they gave her," he hissed, his blue eyes narrowed.

"It's stronger than what they gave Sora, isn't it?"

Terra cast his gaze away from Aqua and nodded. "Xehanort called it magic extinguisher."

Aqua ran her hands through her hair and shook her head before briskly walking away from him.

Her sister was mad. She didn't like Terra. Now that she thought about it, no one really liked him. However, Aqua was the person who talked to him and interacted with him the most, which was confusing because she was also the one who yelled at him the most.

Xion approached Aqua apprehensively. "What is it?"

"Magic extinguisher," she spat.

* * *

The instant Kairi asked about her magic, Terra knew he would be in for it.

Like always, he had to be the harbinger of bad news. He was also the one who received the blame for what he had revealed. After all, he was the closest thing to the Dark Rule there. He was an easy target.

_When anything goes wrong, blame Terra,_ he thought bitterly.

The ex-knight had gotten an earful from everyone until they reached the Travel Agency that had been erected on the soil of the Mi'ihen Highroad.

Terra didn't get why they called it a Travel Agency. It was a fucking Inn. Just call it an Inn!

Apparently, the owner of the establishment, a man with a _ridiculous_ accent named Rin, was trying to show off or make a distinction between his Travel Agency and regular Inns. The bastard was probably some blowhard entrepreneur trying to make a name for himself.

Terra shook his head when he realized he was taking his frustrations out on a man he hardly knew, but he couldn't help it. He was angry and sore and he needed _someone_ to take it out on even if it was mentally…

"Will it ever come back?" Aqua asked solemnly as she sat on the bed next to Kairi's sleeping form.

"Will you get mad at me if I say that I don't know?" Terra countered from his position across the room. He hadn't moved since he came in to check on Red. He just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, his weight propped against the wall as he stared holes into the back of Aqua's head.

"I might," she answered coldly, not taking her eyes off her sister.

"If it comes back, and I don't know that it will, it will take time, like her memory."

"If it's not one disaster, it's another." Aqua sighed. "Her memory and speech gets better, I get my magic back, then you tell us that they gave her something that will keep her from ever casting again…"

Silence.

"What is it with you people and taking away magic?" she shouted and Kairi flinched in her sleep.

"Excuse me, _'you people?'_ " Terra reeled. "You're doing it again. You're _still_ associating me with them!"

He understood why she was mad. He should have told her. That was his fault, but he only did it because he wanted to avoid everyone's wrath. He got their wrath anyway but that was beside the point. He would accept anger for not telling her the truth but he refused to take the blame for what had been done to Kairi.

"Whom else would I associate you with?" She cocked her head in annoyance.

"Look! I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the magic extinguisher. I'm sorry for the part I played in _all of this!_ I'm sorry for what I am, what I was, what I've done and whatever _else_ you think I need to apologize for! But I've done _nothing_ but help you since I went rogue! You can get mad at me and give me this guilt by association shit all you want but like you said, she wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for _me_!" Terra blazed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Terra really wished he hadn't slammed that door so hard. Not because he regretted his tantrum, but because said tantrum _really_ hurt his back.

A gentle knock resonated on the other side of his door and he started to get up and answer but when he shifted, he was reminded of how sore he was. He couldn't get up. Well, he probably could but it would hurt. A lot.

"It's open," he grumbled into his stuffy pillow.

"Hi," chimed the last voice he was expecting to hear.

It was _…her._

"If you are here to pick a fight, I'm not biting," he heeded darkly.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to check on your back and apologize," she whispered meekly.

Terra didn't answer.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I was only mad at you because you didn't tell me. I was also looking for someone to blame and sometimes…it's really easy to make you that person…you know, because you _were_ that person for so long…"

"I didn't give her the magic extinguisher. I didn't hold her down and force her to take it. I didn't even realize she was on it until I read through her paperwork at the prison." His eyes left his pillow and peered back at her. "The instant I found out, I did what I could to keep it out of her system. I didn't treat her like I treated you."

"How's your back?" she whispered and inched closer to him.

"It hurts."

"Take your shirt off."

Terra gave her a mischievous, flirty smirk.

Aqua rolled her eyes. "Don't be obscene."

* * *

The moon was high in the dark sky above the Mi'ihen Highroad. For a while now, they had been practicing magic, sparing, and playing twenty questions fifty times. Twenty questions was Kairi's favorite game lately, especially when they were alone, but Aqua wasn't too keen on it. It wasn't fun reliving certain things with Kairi. It wasn't fun explaining the Dark Rule and all that it entailed. It wasn't fun trying to explain what happened after she was Purged. It wasn't fun telling Kairi that their parents were dead, that they were oppressed their whole lives, and that they couldn't go home unless by some miracle the Dark Rule was dispersed.

Kairi was forced to relive everything in a short amount of time, bad news in large doses. Sometimes, Aqua thought it would be easier to leave her oblivious and simply say that their life sucked. After all, ignorance was bliss, but Kairi wasn't ignorant. She was starting to understand things again and that was why she was asking so many questions. It wasn't her fault that they justified unpleasant answers.

"I don't remember…o-our parents yet," Kairi stated as she ruffled the feathers on Snow's head.

"That isn't because of the chemicals in your body. You didn't really remember them before," Aqua explained as she used Rainfell to draw circles the sand by her feet. "You were just three years old when they died."

"Then, y-you were really…young too."

"Yeah but I was old enough to remember… It isn't a day I _like_ to remember, so you're actually lucky that you won't ever get _that_ memory back. It was nothing but smoke, fire, blood, and metal…"

"Metal?" Kairi inquired.

"Dark Knights."

"The Dark Rule…the people that put us in p-prison and rehabilitated you… They killed our parents too, right?"

"Yes. Everything bad with the world, everything we went through, it is all because of them," Aqua replied emotionlessly.

"Dark Knight are their minions, right? Their henchmen? Their muscle?"

Aqua nodded.

"Terra wore m-metal. He was with the men…that gave me the shots. He took me there… Terra was a-a Dark Knight?"

Aqua sighed and nodded again.

"Dark Knights are bad…"

"Yes," Aqua replied even though she still wasn't sure if her sister was asking or not.

"But Terra isn't bad…" Kairi couldn't understand how Terra could be the man who was kind to her, but could also be a knight. Dark Knights were bad but Terra wasn't bad. At least, she didn't think he was...

"He isn't really bad anymore… No," Aqua agreed with a shake of her head.

"Anymore?"

"Terra was a Dark Knight. He did bad things while he was a knight. He wasn't a good person. I know you like him but I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I have to be honest with you if you're going to get better."

"He did bad things to you when you were together in the Dark Capital, didn't he? The others told me they made him your guardian and that's why he's here. He helps us because of how he feels about you?"

"Probably," Aqua replied honestly.

To this very day, she still never breathed a word of what went on between her and Terra inside the Dark Capital. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure if she _ever_ wanted to breathe a word of it. The implications were enough. Maybe even too much…

She knew they talked about _it._ They had their ideas about what happened even though they were too courteous to _flat-out_ confront her about it. Their opinions probably weren't far from the truth anyway. It was obvious that she and Terra had...a _history._

"The rehabilitation… Is that why you hate him?" Kairi asked solemnly. She loved Terra like an older brother and Aqua could tell she didn't want anyone to hate him. Kairi always wanted to defend him because he had protected her.

"I don't hate him, Kairi."

"Then why don't you like him?" asked Kairi, her brow furrowed with confusion.

Aqua shrugged. "I… It's… He is…complicated. If _I_ understood it, Kairi, I promise I'd tell you…"

"He likes you."

Kairi had seen boys look at Aqua the way he looked at her thousands of times. Granted, she didn't remember their names or who they were but she did remember the _look._ But there was something different about the way Terra looked at her. There was sadness to it, a solemn longing that coated the affection that shimmered in his dull, indigo eyes when he watched her. It was something deeper than a simple crush or infatuation.

He walked on eggshells around her, straightened his posture when she looked at him, held back when they spared, stayed close to her when they fought Heartless, always checked on her if something seemed to be wrong with her, just to name a few of the things Kairi had picked up on. She didn't know or remember much…but she was pretty sure she knew what all of that meant.

"I know…" Aqua averted her gaze.

Kairi _also_ noticed how uncomfortable her sister got when she was forced to talk about him. Aqua liked to avoid him and topics involving him. Kairi had _never_ seen her act that way before. At least, she didn't _remember_ her acting that way before but _before_ was still a very complex and messy concept.

"I-I know what you all say about him…and that no one trusts h-him but he has a good heart. He is a bit misguided and I-I know that he is messed up and mean but his heart is in the right place…"

* * *

The instant Terra was able to go to a bar without anyone breathing down his neck or nipping at his heels, he did.

The bar was in the small town of Kalm. It was quant and not as rowdy as the ones he was use to, but it would get the job done. It had alcohol and he could get drunk. That was all that mattered.

Terra had been avoiding the bottom of a bottle since he joined Aqua's little party but he found he couldn't avoid it anymore. The call was too strong. The urge was too vigorous, the need too indigent, and his pain too traumatic. He needed to quell the maelstrom in his head and sedate the ache in his chest. He would be leaving soon anyway. He could drink if he wanted. He would probably figuratively and literally drown himself in that habit again anyway. Why not start early?

_"Does it help?"_

Terra turned to see Riku approaching the bar.

"It doesn't hurt." Terra swirled his golden whiskey around in his glass.

Riku chuckled and sat down next to him "I haven't had a drink in a _long_ time. DiZ would never let me drink much. You know, because of training and all. He always said it would inhibit me physically."

"He's right." Terra tossed back the rest of his drink. "The Overlords told us not to drink either, but I still did. Not as much as I did when I finally deserted though…"

Riku ordered a small glass of rum as they sat in contented silence.

Terra figured of everyone in their little group, he probably had the most in common with Riku. They had both been chosen by Dark Keyblades and possessed Dark powers and gifts. They had the same heritage, both chosen and kissed by Darkness but with morals that synced with Children of Light. Although Riku had way more morals than he did, but in his defense, Riku had been half-baked longer than he had…

Terra squirmed on the bar stool as he realized he was half-baked. He had become something that he never wanted to be, something he used to detest…all because of a girl, a girl who didn't even love him in return, a girl who continually made him do things he never dreamed of doing.

The thought of Aqua made him order a glass of bourbon, which he quickly downed.

Xaldin always said that love made fools of men. That might be true but Terra mainly felt like love had turned him into a pussy.

"I guess I should thank you." Riku ran his fingertip along the rim of his glass as he spoke. "I haven't forgotten what you did and I probably don't even want to know what you did to Aqua when you were her… _guardian_ in Hollow Bastion…"

Terra grimaced and swirled the taste bourbon around in his mouth with his drunken tongue.

"But I think I finally understand why she wanted you to come with us and I want to thank you," Riku continued.

"For?" Terra inquired deadpan as he tried to flag the bartender back to their side of the bar so he could order _another_ drink.

"For…helping Aqua bring Kairi and Sora back to us," Riku said sincerely.

"You're welcome," he replied flatly but genuinely.

"They wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I still blame you for a lot, but recently, you have been nothing but helpful and for that, you have earned my thanks." Riku patted Terra's back and smirked at him.

"No problem. I meant what I said when I joined you. I want to help but I will spare all of you my company once we get them somewhere stable and safe." Terra tapped his empty glass on the bar's surface.

"Are you planning on leaving?"

"Yeah. I'll leave after you guys get settled in Naefre and once I'm sure I can fend for myself. I thought about leaving while we were still in Oerba but honestly, I didn't have anything better to do and I figured you could still make use of me." Terra shrugged.

"Do Aqua and Kairi know you plan on leaving when we get to Naefre?" Riku inquired. "Kairi has gotten pretty attached to you. She probably won't be too happy about you leaving…and Aqua-"

"I haven't told them yet but I doubt Aqua will care, and Kairi won't either once she remembers enough about me and Dark Knights to know that it'll be better if I leave."

Terra could tell that Riku was about to argue or disagree but ultimately chose against it and he appreciated that. He wasn't in the mood for lies about how valued he was and how everyone didn't want him to leave. The silence was better. At least it was honest.

* * *

The morning after Terra and Riku stayed out all night drinking and having drunken conversations about Keyblades, war, the Dark Rule, sex, and anything and everything in between, Terra was greeted by a shrieking headache. He would have a hangover all day he just knew it.

Misery loves company and Terra _really_ hoped that across the hall, Riku was as miserable as he was.

When the ex-knight finally managed to crack his eyes open, he realized it was late. He loved to sleep but he still tried to get up at a decent hour. However, he couldn't do that presently, which meant, it was only a matter of time before someone busted into his room and demanded he get his ass out of bed so they could get moving.

He wouldn't miss the wake up calls this little group had become famous for when he left. That was for sure.

As if on cue, knocking fell upon his door and he cringed.

If it was Sora, he swore to Darkness he would punch him. He was not in the mood for that kind of radiance that early in the morning. He was _way_ too hung over to have any patience for it.

"Morning!" Kairi's delicate voice sounded and he felt her sitting on the bed next to him.

The room's curtains were opened and that was when he realized _two_ people were in his room.

Terra turned to see Aqua opening his curtains and he instantly sat up in bed much too quickly. However, the movement was too much, causing him to grimace and bow over.

Aqua held her elbows in her palms and leaned against the wall by the window as she watched Kairi help a clearly hung over Terra get his feet on the floor. She watched him rest his forearms on his knees and grab fistfuls of his matted hair.

She would have asked what was wrong and if she could help weren't the smell of stale liquor so present in the room. She wouldn't help someone who was suffering from self-inflicted pain, but apparently, Kairi would.

The younger girl was rubbing his shoulders and patting his back with a smile on her face. As her eyes wandered over Terra's form. Aqua wondered if Kairi remembered this kind of self-induced ailment or if she would have to explain it to her on their way out.

Terra's thick, brown hair was messy. His shirt had been discarded and his muscles rippled down his torso immaculately even though he was bowed over in agony. The dark wristband was still on his wrist and he looked handsome despite the droopy, unwell appearance of his face and the bags under his eyes.

As she stubbornly held her tongue and her position by the wall, she _desperately_ tried to ignore how _…good_ he looked.

Kairi began giggling at how out of it the ex-knight was. He was literally letting her do anything to him. She leaned on his back, repositioned his arms, pulled at his ears, and messed up his already messy hair but he didn't flinch.

"Aqua, look!" Kairi laughed and pulled at Terra's droopy eyelids, making the former knight look bug-eyed and ridiculous.

Aqua stifled a giggle but couldn't hide her grin. Her amusement wasn't lost on Terra and he instantly sobered. His posture straightened and he became a bit more alert but he still didn't stop Kairi from using him as an oversized doll.

Kairi pulled one of her bands off her wrist and began hauling the long ends of Terra's hair into a spiky ponytail directly on top of his head. She continued to giggle and Terra continued to simply take the childish assault.

Kairi was much better but she still had childish tendencies at times. That was okay. Terra didn't have the heart to tell her to stop anyway. Not when any day she could wake up and hate him, not when this could be the last time she had the courage to touch him.

Terra told himself that those were the reasons he didn't make her stop but even if things were different, he still probably wouldn't have stopped her.

His weary indigo eyes focused on the floor while he let Kairi do whatever she wanted. He didn't even complain! Aqua literally couldn't believe her eyes. This was _not_ the man she met a year ago.

* * *

Terra's back still hurt. A lot. Actually, he still hurt everywhere but he didn't let on.

He cast Cure on himself but he wasn't the best healer and it would still be more affective if someone else worked on him. Too bad he didn't have any friends that he could just up and ask to treat his still mending wounds.

If Terra had a friend, it was Kairi, maybe Sora, and possibly Ven. He did know Aqua wasn't his friend though, which meant asking her was out of the question. She had spent too much time working on him anyway. He couldn't bring himself to go to her and whine about his injuries and beg her to work on his back. His balky pride wouldn't let him. He didn't want to admit that he was _still_ hurt, much less admit that he _still_ needed help healing himself.

He would rather _hit on her_ than admit his inefficiency and weakness. Again, only _friends_ confided in one another like that. And since he wasn't her friend, he wouldn't admit that he was still hurt and he wouldn't admit that he wanted her to work on his back.

Not being her friend also meant he couldn't touch her, and he _definitely_ couldn't kiss her. The only thing he _could_ do was stare, like a creep. He was staring now but instead of staring at her, he was staring out the window of his room at _yet another_ Travel Agency. However, staring at the rain that always fell upon the Thunder Plains wasn't as creepy as staring at Aqua.

Raindrops teemed down the glass and thunder crashed in the distance. They were getting close to Naefre. Part of the reason it was usually raining and always dark there was because the metropolis was located so close to the Thunder Plains.

Aqua silently entered the room and she pointed to the bed.

She had come to heal him. If she saw the slightest grimace, if she though he had overdone it, she would enter his room after everyone was asleep and heal the injuries that she thought saved her life.

The Keyblade Master supposed she was returning the favor. He had healed her back another lifetime ago.

He liked healing her better. It hurt less.

Terra sighed, cast his gaze away from the window, and glanced over his shoulder at her.

He couldn't get anything past her. He really thought he hadn't let on that he had overdone it but somehow she always knew.

Relenting, he crawled onto the bed and lied down on the _exact_ spot on the bed she was pointing to.

"Where does it hurt?" Aqua began fondling his back, searching for soft spots.

Terra didn't answer but he winced frequently.

Aqua frowned. "Drop the Dark Knight act, Terra. I know you did too much today and I know you are still recovering. Tell me where it hurts."

Terra grimaced but remained mute. His Dark Knight pride was unbreakable although he wasn't _technically_ a knight anymore. He still respected his training and loathed showing weakness or admitting that he was hurt. Dark Knights weren't supposed to get hurt much less _admit_ that they were.

The young woman smirked and pushed harder. "Where does it hurt?"

"Where you are pushing!" he snapped and relented.

Terra scowled over his shoulder at her but she was smiling at him. Batting those long, dark lashes at him.

He _swore_ that she flirted with him sometimes. She was cute when she flirted with him. Fuck, she was _beautiful_ when she flirted with him. She was beautiful when she chuckled, frowned, sneezed, or wrinkled her nose at things she didn't like. She always looked beautiful but Terra tried to forget that she was. She was easier to resist when he wasn't reminded that she was pretty, but he failed miserably at forgetting she was.

Aqua chuckled at his scowl and she looked pretty, _again_.

When she looked pretty he was also reminded that he loved her and that was something else he tried to forget. Life was easier that way. It would be easier to leave that way. It would be easier to let her go that way.

Regretfully, he remembered his intense, deeply rooted feelings the instant he heard her chuckle. He loved her laugh. He loved making her laugh even though he wasn't good at making her laugh. She rarely laughed or smiled at _anything_ he said or did but he loved watching others make her do so. He would admire their ability and steal glimpses of the smiles and laughs the others caused. Which brought him back to his original, creepy point; he spent a lot of time just staring at her.

"There!" she said once she finished working on his stubborn injuries. "Was that so bad? Isn't life easier when we are cooperative and communicate?"

Terra grumbled some indecipherable statement underneath this breath and fought the urge to grin at her. She gently caressed the expanse between his shoulders and the back of his neck before leaving.

Just like that, he was alone again. That was okay. When it was all said and done, he was okay with being alone.

Terra shifted on his stomach and crawled further onto the bed and tried to find a more comfortable position. Even though he had just received a healing secession, he was still really sore and his wounds were tender.

He could hear her talking to someone in the hallway outside his door. Her voice was gentle and silky but it still carried. He was suddenly very sleepy, so he just lied there and listened to the beautiful hum of her vocal chords until they lulled him to sleep.

* * *

It took a long time, but they finally reached Naefre in one piece.

The city of eternal night always threw Terra through a loop. His body told him it was midday but his eyes told him it was nighttime and that he should be going to sleep. He never understood how people lived there. It was all smoke and mirrors to him and he was sure he would never get out of bed. He would just sleep all the time.

"I never understood how anyone could function here," Aqua said with a shake of her head.

_Is she talking to me?_ Terra mused and looked over at her in disbelief. Her bright blue eyes were practically glowing in the darkness around them.

"We used to come here when we were younger. Master Eraqus knew DiZ and he brought us here a lot. It always made me sleepy and I _never_ woke up on time." Aqua giggled a little.

Terra couldn't believe that she was talking to him, _willingly._ She was making eye contact with him and he didn't even have to speak to her first. This was the first time since they started this journey that she spoke to him casually when they weren't alone in the darkness of the rooms he dwelled within.

"I never got the appeal either," Terra concurred. "I definitely couldn't live here."

"We don't really have a choice. I guess we'll have to get use to it."

"You will. I won't," Terra replied nonchalantly.

Aqua froze in her steps, all the blood suddenly draining from her face. "What are you talking about?"

"Once you and Kairi get settled and once I'm sure you two will be okay, I'm leaving."

"Where… Where will you go?" Aqua managed to ask even though her throat felt like it was swelling shut. For some reason, his statement felt just like a punch to the gut.

Terra shrugged. "Somewhere where they can't find me."

Which also meant she wouldn't be able to find him either…

"I'll probably go somewhere where I can make myself useful since I've run out of ways to make myself useful for you and yours." He bobbed his head in the party's direction.

"Oh."

"Is that disappointment I hear?" Terra teased and took a few steps toward her immobile form.

Aqua's face turned rosy as he loomed over her. Her face was hot but her chest was cold and achy. It hurt. It felt like she had been running in the bitter cold for hours and her lungs were shriveled and deflated. It felt like she had been breathing broken shards of jagged ice.

It hurt and she didn't understand why.

"Are-are you leaving?" Kairi inquired.

Aqua's eyes left Terra and realized that everyone had stopped moving and they were watching their exchange intently.

"Mm-hmm," Terra replied as if he was a peace with his decision, as if it wasn't a big deal. Maybe it wasn't one. Maybe Aqua was just making it one.

"But…you don't have anywhere to go?" Kairi responded and Aqua was glad _someone_ was able to confront those things since she was currently unable to.

"Nah. I don't belong anywhere anymore. Remember?" Terra smiled arrogantly.

Kairi glanced at her sibling then back at Terra.

"You…could belong w-with us." She said what she knew her sister wanted to say but didn't have the courage or sense to do so. Aqua would thank her for this...later.

The ex-knight laughed uproariously. "I think you're the only one that wants that. I don't think anyone else would want me to belong in your little _group_."

_Especially Aqua,_ he thought.

"I'm kind of a burden. Ex Dark Knight you know. No one wants that around. It attracts the wrong kind of attention," he added after watching the obvious disappointment wash over Kairi's features. "And the last thing _any_ of you need is negative attention. Actually, you don't need attention at all and with me around, you're sure to get it."

"Will you be okay?" Naminé asked meekly and took an apprehensive step toward them. "They will be after you too when they realize you aren't dead."

"Probably but I can handle them." Terra smirked.

The pain in Aqua's throat and chest intensified. It felt like she was swallowing broken glass.

Terra couldn't handle them alone. They both knew that. He knew that and he was okay with it. Aqua was terrified that Terra had some kind of death wish. He never said so but she thought he had been planning on dying in that desert, that he had _wanted_ to die in that desert. Maybe that was what he was trying to do now, go off and die. Or maybe it was something worse. Maybe he was going to go back to the Dark Rule to beg for mercy. What if he went back? They would take him. He was Terra…

The chatter around her became muted and muddled as she swallowed even more invisible fragments of glass. It hurt. It really hurt but she didn't understand why.

* * *

"I should probably go in alone," Riku announced when they reached the entrance of DiZ's towering, ghostly stronghold.

"Are you sure?" Ventus eyed the guards that halted their advance.

"Yeah. I'd rather you not hear the tongue lashing and the groveling that is about to happen." Riku ran a hand through his silver bangs.

Aqua was relieved Riku didn't want them to go in with him. That meant she would dodge the tongue-lashing DiZ had likely reserved for her. He probably wasn't happy with her taking his best Keyblade Master and turning him into a fugitive. She didn't really want to hear that _'I told you so'_ yet.

"We'll be out here if you need us." Xion smiled and patted his shoulder in encouragement.

Riku nodded. "I shouldn't be gone long. I'll come get you once I explain everything to him. Maybe he will know what to do."

"Great. What are we gonna do now?" Sora asked as Riku disappeared into the stronghold. He placed his hands behind his head and leaned onto his heels. Riku hadn't been gone five seconds and he was already bored.

"Explore the city?" Naminé beamed at him.

"I'm going to walk around and see if there is anything out of the ordinary going on," Terra stated and began walking down the street.

"I'll come with you." Aqua quickly followed him down the gloomy road, rain rolling off her frame as she moved.

"H-Hey, wait for us!" Kairi cried as she and the others ran through the steady precipitation after them.

* * *

Before knocking on the towering door that led to DiZ's study, Riku took in a deep breath. He wasn't sure if DiZ would be happy to see him or not, nor did he know if word had gotten to DiZ that he was now a full-blown fugitive.

Once he gained the balls and the courage, he knocked.

_"Enter."_

Stoically, Riku entered the pale study.

"You came back," DiZ sneered from his desk, his hands folded in front of his mouth, his elbows resting on the desk's blinding surface.

"Master." Riku bowed humbly.

Silence.

"DiZ, I'm sorry I defied you, but I _had_ to help Aqua. We've managed to save Kairi and even Sora but now we don't have anywhere else to go… I know we're fugitives and we endanger you and Naefre by simply being here but we've basically run out of options… I've considered joining the Opposition but I thought I should talk to you before we do anything drastic…" Riku continued to hold his submissive posture as he spoke, not straightening his posture or taking his eyes off the pale floor for a second.

"You did the right thing by coming to me first," DiZ stated flatly. "Where are the others?"

"In the city, somewhere." Riku's icy eyes slowly wandered off the floor to regard the governor and his bizarre tone.

"How many are with you?"

"Seven. Eight counting myself." The Keyblade Master's posture straightened so he could fully regard his Master. DiZ's eye was distant and unfocused. His breathing was a bit uneven and his body was uncommonly rigid. They were subtle differences but differences he picked up on nonetheless.

"Are Aqua and Terra in the city?" DiZ asked but it sounded like a demand.

"…Why do you want to know?" Riku's silver brow knitted in suspicion.

"Answer me, _Riku_." That was a demand. There was no misinterpreting that tone.

"Aren't you worried about Kairi and Sora? About our fugitive status? There are a _billion_ other issues that we have to deal with. Why are you so concerned with Aqua and Terra? Do you even _know_ Terra?" Riku's submission was completely gone and he had placed his hands on the edge of DiZ's desk in vexation.

"Take your _filthy_ , half-baked hands off my desk and answer my question, _boy_." DiZ snarled and leapt to his feet so abruptly his chair toppled over and fell to the floor behind him.

Riku's eyes went wide something was wrong. This _wasn't_ DiZ.

Swiftly, he turned on his heel to leave and get help but was met by two pale green eyes.

Instinctively, he grabbed the woman's shoulders. "Something is wrong with DiZ. I think the Dark Rule has done something to him. Go to DiZ's chancellor and inform him that I think they are trying to perform some kind of sick, physic coup."

A lovely but devious smile blossomed on the young woman's face. Her unnatural, otherworldly eyes shone with mischief and glimmered with vice. Riku instantly realized that this was the blonde woman he saw sitting next to Aqua in Hollow Bastion. This was not a servant. This was a _seer_ …

Riku detached his hands from her shoulders and violently reeled backwards until he crashed into DiZ's desk.

"Don't worry," she purred seductively as she closed in on him. "I'll notify him of the situation."

Riku drew his Keyblade but before he could strike, he was being electrocuted.

He was fast, but she was faster. She held her hand out in front of her and shot wave upon wave of Thundaga into his unsuspecting body. He resisted it until he felt his muscles, nerves, and bones deteriorating.

Helplessly, he convulsed until he plummeted to the ground. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and bloody froth began pouring out of his mouth and onto the snowy floor he thrashed upon. He seized and shuddered and the onslaught didn't stop until he lost consciousness and his body stilled.

When Larxene was sure he had indeed passed out, she sighed contentedly. She dusted off her hands and straightened her dress as she strolled over the limp body, carelessly digging her heels into his back and hands, walking on him as if he were nothing more than lumpy terrain.

"Pick up my chair." Larxene pointed to the large chair DiZ had knocked over when he yelled at Riku.

DiZ did as he was told and gallantly pulled the chair out of the seeress, pushing the chair up behind her once she was seated.

The Seer Sage thrummed the desk's surface with her razor-sharp nails and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Want us to finish him off?" Saïx inquired calmly as he and Axel entered the room and saw what the blonde oracle had done.

"Not yet." Larxene reclined in her chair and crossed her legs. "I prefer live bait."


	40. Sleeper

Rain fell from the heavens and blanketed her in layers of balmy sheets. The precipitation clung to her thick eyelashes like tears and streamed down the contours of her face every time she blinked.

The summer rainfall was warm and she didn't really mind that she was slowly becoming drenched as she sat on a nearby, dreary stoop with Ventus.

They had wandered around they gloomy metropolis of Naefre for a while, following Terra's lead as they searched for anything out of the ordinary. The small group found no signs of occupation or civil unrest but they kept dawdling through the city until Kairi began complaining of fatigue. After that, they chose to rest for a while in an empty alleyway where they could hide peacefully in the shadows.

Across the street, Kairi, Sora, Naminé, and Xion were conversing with Terra. How the four of them managed to carry on meaningful conversations with him was beyond her. What could they possibly have in common with a former Dark Knight?

"They like him." Ven chuckled with a shake of his head.

"They don't hold grudges like we do," replied Aqua.

The younger members of their group were quicker to forgive. Aqua and Ven had seen more, done more. They had been through more for their siblings. They had taken the blunt of the damage for them, shielded them and they wore the scars that had absorbed bitterness like a sponge. All of them hated the Dark Rule but their hatred ran deeper. Their hatred was different. Aqua didn't know if it was their youth, their naivety, or their natural demeanor that made them different. All she knew was that they handled all of this differently. They reacted differently and accepted the way things were differently.

Perhaps it was for the future. Perhaps the Light wanted them prepared for the peace to come while she and Ven had to be prepared for the war and bloodshed that would bring about that peace. Perhaps their siblings had to be forgiving and trusting in order to reestablish the balance…

When Aqua caught herself being too optimistic, she shook her head. It had been so long that she had felt optimistic it was strange and it felt wrong. She didn't need to think that way. It was unhealthy in the long run and would only lead to more disappointment. Her optimism had crushed her more than once.

To take her mind off of her deceptive optimism, she watched her family laugh and joke with Terra as if he had always been with them. Ventus was right. They liked him, maybe even trusted him.

"Even Xion likes him in her own shy way," Ven mused with disbelief.

Xion was likely the most apprehensive and distrusting of the younger members of their party but even she had grown fond of Terra. She kept her distance but she had accepted him too. In fact, Aqua decided that everyone had accepted him. The journey to Naefre had changed the dynamic of their little group. They were used to him. Too bad he was leaving.

The thought of Terra leaving sent an icy dagger into her chest that caused her so much misery that she shifted on the step she sat on.

"You know," Ven began, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against one of the stoop banisters. "For a long time, I didn't understand why you wanted him to come with us…"

Instinctively, Aqua gazed down at the scars that she knew slumbered underneath the protective covering on her wrists. She knew Ven was referring to the time right after her escape when he saw them, when she was like a frightened animal…

"But now that I've been around him and have gotten to know him, I understand why you wanted him to leave with us that day. You were right. There is good in him. He isn't like the others." Ven smiled at the man in question. "Then again, you are usually right about that kind of thing. I'll be sad to see him go."

As if sensing they were talking about him, the ex-knight glanced in Aqua's direction. He said something indecipherable to his _entourage_ before walking towards her.

Aqua automatically gave him a small smile and his natural scowl softened.

She wasn't sure when her immediate reaction to him looking at her became to smile. It was just something that started happening one day and when she wasn't angry with him, it was just what she did when their eyes met. Smiling at him was almost a knee jerk reaction at this point.

"We should probably head back to the stronghold," Terra said when he reached them.

"You think everything is alright here?" Ven detached himself from the banister and shook some of the moisture out of his hair.

"I can't _see_ anything out of the ordinary but that doesn't mean they didn't do…something. If Xemnas and Vanitas were here, they probably did something…" Terra replied, his air completely mirthless.

"I've got a weird feeling. I can't put my finger on it. It just…it doesn't feel right. I've been here a thousand times before but something is _off_ ," Ven explained as he eyed the area around them.

Aqua nodded. She had to agree. Something was off. The city was fine on the outside but there was something unsettling underneath the sturdy pavement of the last neutral capital.

"Let's head back. I want to be there when Riku gets out," she said as she got to her feet. "Come on, guys! We are heading back!" she called to the others.

"Why are there Dark Knights here…" Kairi asked as she melded to Aqua's side and eyed some of the standard knights wandering around the metropolis.

"I-I'm not sure," Aqua admitted. She had never really thought about it. Naefre was neutral but there were always knights drifting around. Her gaze drifted to Terra. "Do you know?"

"They aren't really stationed here. It was part of the early agreements between DiZ and the Overlords. Sort of a, _'if you aren't doing anything you shouldn't, you will allow Dark Knights to live in you city'_ kind of thing. They don't really have power here. They are more like spies. Extra sets of eyes for the Overlords so they can pounce the instant DiZ messes up."

"I don't understand why they want Naefre so much," Naminé stated as she walked between Ventus and Terra, making shields of flesh out of the two men for comfort.

"Naefre is the last major neutral territory left, one of the last metropolises the Dark Rule doesn't have control over. It is a threat because of its numbers, power, and status. Children of Light find sanctuary here and they hate that. They can't control what happens inside this city. It's the last capital haven on earth. If they can get their hands on it, they can basically control the world," Terra explained, his tone dry and deadpan. "Not to mention Naefre is also the last threat other than the Opposition. Should Naefre become hostile or if the Overlords lose their truce between themselves and DiZ, this city is the basically the only one that might cause a problem. The Dark Rule is also terrified that DiZ might aid the Opposition. They basically want Naefre so they can keep all that shit from happening."

"Why don't they just burn it down if they are so afraid of it? Isn't that their solution to everything?" Ven inquired, glancing over at Terra expectantly.

"They want to occupy it. They would see burning down this place as a waste. Naefre isn't some insignificant village. If it was, they would have burned it down and Purged everyone inside years ago. But since it isn't, they have to play nice and wait for the perfect moment to strike. They don't want to make DiZ side with the Opposition and they don't want to ruin a major city like this when they plan on it ultimately becoming theirs anyway, so they can't use force. It's a weird song and dance they have been doing with DiZ for years. They want the city too much to destroy it but they are too afraid of it to leave it alone. They want to overthrow DiZ but they don't want him to seek revenge by aiding the Opposition."

"My head hurts now…" Naminé rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry. I'm terrible at explaining things…" Terra gave a shoulder a shrug.

"No, it's okay. It isn't you. I just never understood the whole territory and occupation thing," she explained.

"That makes two of us." Terra looked down at her and winked, causing Naminé to smile.

"Excuse me," Aqua called to the nearest guard who stood at the citadel's massive entrance. "Can you tell us if Master Riku is still speaking with DiZ?"

"He hasn't left yet if that is what you are asking," the hooded guard in a large, black cloak snapped and Aqua recoiled, but Terra gave the guard a glare that told him that he should adjust his tone before addressing her again.

"I mean…um, he is still within the stronghold, Miss. He's still conversing with the governor," he replied much more politely.

"Alright. Thank you so much." She smiled and turned to address the others. "He's still inside, so we haven't missed him. We'll just wait out here."

Aqua could see the immediate discontentment on Sora and Ven's faces. They hated waiting around and being in one place for prolonged periods of time. They always got twitchy.

"He needs to wrap it up. How long has he been in there?" Sora all but demanded.

"Long enough," Terra responded flatly. "We can wait a little longer but if he isn't out in an hour, someone will either need to go in after him or we'll need to leave."

No one replied but they all knew he was right. They just didn't want to think about what Riku not returning would mean nor did they want to think about having to leave without him, but they all knew that they might have to.

Time passed slowly as they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Something's wrong." Terra stared up at the massive citadel. "I'm going to investigate."

"I'll go with you." Aqua took a step towards him.

"No." Terra placed a strong hand on her shoulder. "You need to stay here with the others. If I don't come back in an hour, leave. Go to Traverse Town and ask for a man named Leon… He also goes by Squall so ask for either of those names, got it? He is the leader of the Opposition."

Aqua's mind was reeling. This was all happening so fast and she didn't have a chance to sort through it all. It was so impulsive and quick and she wasn't sure if she was ready for any of it.

"Terra…" Aqua shook her head and looked up at him with beseeching eyes.

She really didn't like his tone. He made this sound so dire. If he didn't come back, that meant that he and Riku were either captured or dead. Then, what remained of their group would have to retreat and reach out to a resistance, but Aqua wasn't even sure if she could turn her back on Terra and Riku, much less journey to Traverse Town and search for this alleged Opposition leader!

"Behave." He winked and her heart dove into the very pit of her stomach. "You too, Red." Terra rustled Kairi's hair.

Kairi giggled and gave a curt nod. But Aqua could only stare blankly at the ground and think of how she probably should have said or done something…

* * *

Navigating DiZ's fortress seemed a lot easier in his head. Terra had escorted the Dark Overlords to DiZ's chamber before, but it had been a while and he didn't recall the corridors being this confusing.

"Excuse me," he called to a nearby servant carrying a large floral arrangement. "Could you tell me where DiZ's office is?

"Down that hall." The young man pointed to the corridor adjacent to the one they were in and almost dropped the plant in the process. "I-It's the last door on the right…but he has company so don't come crying to me when he yells at you for interrupting."

"Thanks?" Terra huffed.

He journeyed down the hallway the servant pointed to. When he reached his destination, he knocked on the door a few times but no one answered. He knocked a few more times and when he continued to receive the silent treatment, he took it upon himself to let himself in.

Terra entered the room and was greeted by a massive, white desk covered in strange grey designs with a matching chair. The chair's towering back was facing him and DiZ was apparently looking out the oversized window.

"Excuse me, DiZ?" he called confidently, approaching the desk.

_"DiZ isn't here right now."_

The silky, feminine voice resonating from within the chair made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

_"He had a_ **nasty** _headache so he had to lay down for a bit. But I will be sure to let him know you stopped by_ _…_ **Terra** _."_

It wasn't until _she_ began to speak that he noticed the familiar metal guards flanked on each side of the chair, one in a hood with green trim and one in a helmet with pale, soulless eyes.

Slowly, the massive chair turned and Larxene propped her sharp, ebony heels upon the desk.

"Hello, Terra. Good to see you again," she purred.

Terra's panicked eyes darted around the room for some kind of way out of this mess. Axel and Saïx were guarding Larxene and Riku's lifeless body was nearby, lying face down in a pool of his own blood and froth on the other side of the desk by Axel's feet. He wanted to help him but he wasn't even sure if he could help himself at this point.

Before Terra even had the chance to blink, he was being electrocuted.

He resisted the assault but his vision was starting to blur and his legs began turning into jelly. They buckled without his consent and he realized Axel's chakrams had sliced through the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground.

"…A-Axel…! Please!" Terra shouted and glared across the room at his former comrade, his old friend, the only one of the three standing before him that he thought _might_ show him mercy. He knew for a fact his former lover wouldn't. She would rather die than show him mercy.

"You should know better than to beg, Terra," Saïx condemned emotionlessly. "It is disgraceful and will get you nowhere."

Saïx's deadly Claymore began swaying back and forth like pendulum. Terra watched in horror, knowing full well what would happen next, knowing he was powerless to stop it.

Long before Terra could utter any kind of response, Claymore collided with the back of his head.

Slowly opening his eyes, Terra realized he was tied to some chair sitting across from a bound and gagged Riku.

Riku looked like he had been beaten to death before he was placed in a chair identical to his but to his surprise, Riku was both conscious and alive. However, when Terra heard the eerily familiar clicking of razor-sharp heels on the blinding linoleum, he wasn't sure if either of them would be alive for long.

"It was _so_ nice of you to visit us, Terra." Larxene strolled around his chair, her hand rambling around his shoulders and down his chest.

"Thank you for having me," Terra replied, his words dripping scorn.

"We've missed you," she breathed into his ear and he jerked away from the unpleasant warmth, "but you look…just _awful."_

She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disgust. "Running around with fugitives has done nothing for you, love."

Larxene encircled him slowly before lifting her dress and sitting astride his hips.

"Oh well. It's nothing a haircut and a few Darkness injections can't cure." The seeress ran her hands along the muscles of his abdomen and massaged his extreme upper thighs, causing him to writhe against her in a vain attempt to get away from her and the unwanted contact. "And once we dig that pesky whore out of your head, you'll be good as new."

"What are you talking about?" Terra hissed and attempted to create space between them.

"We are going to fix you, Terra," she replied cheerfully.

"I'm not broken."

"No. Of course, you're not. You just run around with fugitives, desert your masters, steal our prisoners, and kill your fellow knights for fun. You are _clearly_ of sound mind." Larxene slid off his lap. "But all of that is okay. We are going to fix you and make it all feel like a bad dream. We'll dig into your brain and take all those _vexatious_ memories away and replace them with the happiest little memories you could ever ask for."

"Nice try, but I know you can't do that. They tried to do it to Kairi and failed. That system doesn't work," Terra countered.

"It will with the little bitch in white's help." She was encircling him again and his eyes couldn't follow her as she took a permanent stance behind him.

"Naminé?" Terra tensed and he could see the panic swirling in Riku's swollen eyes.

"If you mean the seeress you're traveling with, then yes."

_Shit_ _…_

"You see, she has power over memories." Larxene began wandering around the room again. "So, if we have her on our side, we won't need those shoddy, unreliable re-education ' _treatments'_ anymore. We'll just have her reconstruct their minds and memories—"

Riku's began jerking and mumbling against his gag, causing her to pause.

"What was that, half-baked?" Larxene walked toward Riku and elegantly knelt down in front of him. "Are you going to tell me that she would never do that? Your thoughts are loud enough. You don't have to try so hard to speak and get my attention."

Riku's eyes narrowed at her.

"You know, I really don't understand you and DiZ. I know why Terra did what he did. We knew this would likely happen. We saw it when we decided to let him have bluebird, I mean, _Aqua_. You see, we were trying to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Clearly, that didn't work because we are _exactly_ where we didn't want to be but now I'm rambling!" Larxene laughed wildly. "My point is, I know why Terra is a traitor but I don't know why _you_ were so quick to side with Children of Light."

Riku shook his head, knowing she wouldn't understand even if he wasn't gagged, even if he were able to speak.

She tapped her chin and pretended to mull it over. "I see your filthy, blackened soul so that isn't the problem…"

Sensing the seeress was about to do something to him, Riku visibly tensed and leaned away from her.

"So…if it isn't your soul…" Larxene summoned Foudre, her electrified claws that also doubled as throwing knives, and grazed them down Riku's torso. "Then maybe it's your heart that is the source of your heedless idiocy."

"Stop it, Larxene!" Terra shouted, fighting his restraints.

Larxene rolled her eyes and continued to scrape her claws along Riku's chest, right over his heart. "Tell me, is it your heart that makes you worthless because if it is, I would be happy to get rid of it for you."

Riku howled against the tape that covered his mouth as she dug her claws into his chest, blood spurting around them as she did so.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" She sank the claws in farther.

The Keyblade Master continued to squirm and Larxene giggled.

"Oh, wait! I know what's wrong!" She laughed more. "You have my sincerest apologies. I got so carried away and anxious, and I _completely_ forgot that you have all that tape on your mouth!"

Larxene reached for him and mercilessly ripped the tape off Riku's face so hard that even Axel winced.

"Now you can tell me what your problem is." She smirked and squeezed Riku's cheeks as if he were a child.

"The Dark Rule…is my problem. People like you are my problem. It isn't about Light and Dark…it's about right and wrong and I will always help people who are being wronged…" Riku declared fearlessly.

Larxene yawned and carelessly put the tape over Riku's mouth again, not caring if it was secure or not. "Yeah. That was just as boring as I thought it would be."

"Naminé won't help you." Terra hissed, glaring daggers at her.

"I assure you, she will," Larxene replied and rose to her feet. "She'll do it for her family and her friends. _Her_ servitude in exchange for _their_ lives."

Terra's eyes went wide and Larxene sneered.

"See! Even _you_ think it will work! Aqua and her band of morons will march in here to save you and half-baked, we capture them, extort Naminé, and we get a new seeress." She snickered. "And once she's on our side, she'll finally stop clouding my mind."

Larxene fell to her knees before him and he noticed how pale her eyes were, how feral they looked…

"She's what messed me up, Terra. The white, blonde, little pixie… She clouds my vision… She mutes the voices in my head…" The Seer Sage pointed to her temple for emphasis. "I-I couldn't hear them. They couldn't tell me you were going to betray us. They wouldn't talk to me. They were too busy talking to her… Terra, why did they want to help _her_ and not me?"

Terra looked at her in pure bewilderment then glanced back at Axel to see if he knew she was going mad, truly mad. Larxene had always been maniacal and psychotic but she had always sane.

Axel merely shook his head and shrugged a shoulder. Clearly, he was used to this kind of sporadic, haphazard behavior. Terra automatically assumed this must have been going on for some time now.

"When I let your bluebird go, they didn't tell me all _this_ would happen… They didn't tell me or even show me!" Larxene raved, clawing at his knees so hard that he was sure she would draw blood. "I did it for you! I didn't think it would hurt… I thought it was for the best… It wasn't going to mess me up. Mess _us_ up. They talk too much or they don't talk at all…"

Dumbfounded. Terra was completely and utterly dumbfounded. All he could do was watch her wrestle with insanity and grasp wildly at whatever sanity she had left.

This was what happened when someone went beyond his or her means. This was what happened to seers that did too much. There were always consequences to abusing power. _Always._

"I can't always see. So, sometimes, I have to listen. Then there is too much to see or hear. Too many visions… Too many voices… Since she left… Too many pictures… I can't sort through them all… They don't make sense and there are blind spots because of the pixie and she messes me up… She messes _all of us_ up… My brain gets so full and my eyes… They aren't right anymore. You see it, right?"

"Larxene…" Terra whispered and the look he gave her was almost sympathetic.

"And they aren't blue. You like blue eyes, right? Like hers? Like bluebird? I knew you loved her before you did… The bluebird flew away, Terra… I shouldn't have let her out of her cage, Terra. Too many voices now that she's gone… Too many visions… Too much to see…"

For a moment, it looked like she might cry. She crumbled, resting her head on his lap and Terra was at a complete loss.

"No! Shut up! _I_ am talking!" Larxene covered her ears and screamed at people or things that weren't there. "There are too many in here! I would rip out my own _Light-damn_ eyes if it would just **stop**!"

The seeress stood abruptly and clasped onto Terra's head so hard it stung long before the sensation of her pushing her way into his skull occurred.

She forced so many visions into his head that he thought his brain would burst. Terra saw anything and everything and _none_ of it made sense. He saw things that were and things that hadn't been and things that would never be. It was everything that could ever be and just experiencing a moment of it made him feel deranged. No wonder Larxene was losing it. If he had to watch fate like that, he wouldn't be quite right either.

Larxene sighed and panted once everything went into him instead of her, once she was able to share her pain. "I'm so sorry you had to see that but it was just getting way too crowded in there… I kind of lose control when I have to see too much and because of you and bluebird, I have been seeing _way_ too much lately."

Just like that, she was back to normal. Cool and composed as ever. It was as if it had never happened. Terra wasn't even sure of what he'd just witnessed. Was she mad or not? Was she sane or insane? Was it the visions making her temporarily lose her lucidity or was her mind unstable in general?

"Now. Where was I?" Larxene placed her hands on both sides of his head from behind, grazing her scathing nails alone his vulnerable temples as if she were about to ram her hands right into his brain.

Terra grimaced. He couldn't take another intrusion. He would pass out if she wormed her way into his head again. He might even die. He would at least vomit. What she just did to him was the worst pain she had _ever_ caused him to experience, and that was saying something. The mere thought of it occurring again was enough for him to writhe in pain.

"Since getting bluebird away from you physically wasn't enough, we will remove her mentally. We thought you were beyond help and that we would have to kill you with the others, but we were wrong. It's not too late. We can still help you."

"You might make me forget her but I will still feel what I feel for her. My heart won't forget her," Terra declared gallantly and he realized that he would have _never_ said such a thing a year ago.

"Then I will dig her out of it." Larxene leapt into his lap and began digging Foudre into the skin that covered his heart. She was just itching to torment someone or rip someone's heart out. This was the second time she had offered to dispose of the deplorable, manipulative organ.

Grimacing, Terra grit his teeth in his mouth. He didn't cry out though. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Fuck…" she hissed under her breath before she could get any serious digging done.

Confused, Terra tried to follow her gaze but he realized she wasn't really seeing anything – at least not anything visible to the naked eye. She was… _sensing_ something, seeing with her third eye.

"This will have to wait a moment." Larxene patted Terra's heaving chest. "DiZ is in some need of assistance. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

She lingered a moment, caressing his cheek and before she slid off his lap and left the room with Saïx on her heels.

"She is mad as a fucking hatter," Riku spat once they were gone, the tape muting him having apparently slipped off his moutth. "She has done something to DiZ. She is… _controlling_ him. Do you know anything about that?"

They weren't alone so Terra was hesitant to answer. Axel was still there with them and he wasn't sure how much he could trust him. Axel was a bit of a loose cannon and whom he sided with varied depending on the day of the week.

Terra sighed and shook his head. "All of this happened after I left. I wasn't even aware that they were planning a coup in Naefre."

"This isn't a normal coup. They aren't overthrowing him, they are _using_ him," Riku countered.

"They probably turned DiZ into a Sleeper at some point but they haven't triggered him…well, until now, obviously…"

"You didn't tell us that they could do that."

"I didn't know that they could…" Terra replied.

"Neither did I," Axel stated.

Terra lifted his head and glanced across the room in shock. That was the first time he'd heard Axel speak. He had been uncharacteristically quiet through all of this.

"But they can… Well, _she_ can. She is DiZ's… _Handler_. She has pushed her way into his brain and now she is perpetually inside it. When we were deployed, Xehanort told her to plant a seed or something like that." Axel shrugged and removed his menacing silver mask and placed it on DiZ's desk.

Terra instantly felt better when the mask was removed. In a way, it was a sign of surrender, a peace offering, and an implied truce. It meant that at that moment, Axel wasn't a Dark Knight. He was silently proclaiming he was off duty, which suggested Terra might be talking to his friend and not his former comrade.

"How is it?" Axel asked, his face and timbre emotionless.

Terra's brow wandered up his forehead. "How's what?"

"Life on the outside?"

The ex knight could sense the shock on Riku's face. No one ever thought of Dark Knights as prisoners. Hell, he didn't even think of himself as one until recently…

"Different…" Terra scoffed. "I liked it better when I _wasn't_ constantly looking over my shoulder but it beats being a puppet."

Axel nodded and Terra thought he saw a flicker of understanding inside the despondent air he exuded.

"...What's happened to Roxas?" Terra tasked timidly. He didn't want to know but at the same time, he _had_ to know.

"He's not dead yet if that is what you're asking, but his execution is pending," answered Axel flatly. "They want to make a big show of it. Not any execution will do. It'll probably be public in Hollow Bastion, a message to all the Dark Knights, a little reminder. A _'this is what will happen to you if you help traitors'_ if you will…"

Terra grimaced. "I didn't ask him to do it. He did it of his own volition."

"That only makes it worse. Xehanort is going to perform the execution. It's that bad."

"He admitted to it…" Terra mused.

"You know Roxas…" Axel chuckled darkly. "Lord Xehanort always told him that his kindness would be his undoing but I always thought it was just an expression... Either way, they get to make an example out of him now." He cast his green gaze out the massive window behind DiZ's desk, his expression melancholy but somehow unreadable. "They needed something to shock everyone back into submission. You know, after everything you've done: the deserting, the jailbreak, and the manslaughter. Can't have anyone getting ideas or thinking they can get away with that kind of thing."

Guilt consumed Terra. He never meant to bring Roxas into all this. He didn't want Roxas to be punished for something he started. He'd _never_ meant for his actions to have a ripple effect.

"Is it true?" Axel

Terra already knew he wouldn't want to answer but took the bait anyway, despite his better judgment. "Is what true?"

"What you did to Demyx. Is it true?"

Terra's eyes fell to the blinding, bloodstained floor. "It's true."

The room fell silent. Terra didn't feel the need to explain it further. It was what it was. He did what he did. He'd killed Demyx. No amount of explaining would change that or make that fact any less unpleasant.

"I did what I had to do, Axel. You would have done the same," Terra continued.

"Would you kill me if you had to?"

"Would you kill me if _you_ had to?" Terra countered coarsely.

Axel didn't answer but he knelt down behind him and undid his restraints.

Terra was in complete shock as he felt the chains peel off his wrists and ankles.

"I don't understand…" he whispered as he stood and rotated his wrists.

"Yeah?" Axel laughed. "Me neither."

He didn't say why and he wouldn't say why, but Terra was pretty sure Axel did this for Roxas. He was sure Axel didn't want Roxas's sacrifice to be for nothing. Maybe he didn't want everything Terra had done to be for nothing. Maybe he just wanted to fuck with the Dark Rule or maybe Terra's insanity was contagious. Whatever the reason, Terra was grateful and not about to question someone who was acting on impulse or on reasoning they didn't completely understand. After all, he'd been doing the same thing for a while now and he knew what that felt like.

"What about Larxene?" he asked.

"Leave her to me. I'll make ' _your escape'_ look real." Axel summoned his chakrams and sneered at him.

"Won't she see what you did? What you're doing? I don't want you to be put in the same situation as Roxas… I've already got _way_ too much blood on my hands. I don't want yours on them too."

"Trust me. Larxene isn't at her best. I can handle her," Axel assured him and began slicing at the ghostly curtains that framed the large window.

Terra nodded and moved to free Riku.

"Thanks, Axel. I owe you—"

"Don't get all mushy on me, Terra. I know you have been hanging with Children of Light lately but damn…" Axel continued destroying the room, catching papers on fire, slicing the walls, and ramming his body into anything and everything around him.

"Fine." Terra chuckled. "I'll stop."

"Good. Now go. You need to get out before Larxene comes back or before Aqua comes looking for you. If either of those things happen, we are all fucked."

Without another word, Terra and Riku bolted out of DiZ's study.

* * *

"That doesn't make any sense! This is insane! How can they do that?!" Ven anxiously paced around their room back at the Travel Agency.

Thanks to Axel, everyone had made it out of Naefre and back to the Thunder Plains in one peace but Riku and Terra didn't explain the _complexities_ of their situation until they were safely out of the hostage city. On their way out of the stronghold, they had decided it would be better to get out of Naefre, _then_ go through the unpleasant process of explaining why they were leaving in a frenzy, why Riku was basically a bloody pulp, why Terra was bleeding from his chest, nose, ears, and mouth, and why DiZ wasn't able to help them.

"They're Seer Sages. They are masters of that kind of thing," Terra said dejectedly as he sat on one of the room's beds next Naminé and Riku.

"So Naefre is Dark Realm territory now?" Xion asked apprehensively from her casual seat on the floor.

"Not yet. They have to make it believable. Like DiZ _wanted_ to become Dark Realm territory. At some point, Larxene will make him sign a contract that will make it official," the ex-knight responded.

"They can't control him forever. I don't care how powerful Larxene is. She can't play puppet master forever. She can't _always_ be his Handler. Something will have to give," Aqua argued feverishly as she too paced around the room.

"You're right," Terra responded softly but surely. "They can't keep him triggered forever but after he signs the treaty, she won't have to handle him anymore. Once he signs that agreement, the damage is done and if he tries to back out, they'll just hold the treaty against him. It'll be their word against his and their word always wins. They'll replace him with some moron from the Dark Realm eventually. If he signs, it's over."

"How do you know all this…?" Aqua inquired skeptically.

"She… She showed me…" Terra's eyes favored the floor.

"What did she do to you?" Aqua closed the space between them, kneeling once she reached him so she could be eye level with him.

"Nothing she hasn't done before. She just showed me things: what they had done, what they were planning to do. I don't even know if she meant to or not but she did." Terra wiped away some of the blood he felt leaking out of his ear.

"What if she… What if she did something to you and Riku," Aqua inquired, pure terror etched into her features. .

"Like... Like what she has done to DiZ?!" Ven gaped, instantly stopping his pacing.

"Yes."

"We'd have no way of knowing, now would we?" Terra sighed and massaged another round of Cure into his temples. He swore, if he got one more seer-induced headache…!

"What if they did something to me…? They were always around… I spent time with them… They've been in my head…" Aqua paled and cast her glance to Riku. "What about you? Did she push her way into your head? Did she touch you?"

"She touched me but I don't think she _touched_ me like she _touched_ Terra." Riku shook his head. He was still in a bit of a daze, which only caused Aqua's concern to grow.

"If she touched you, you would know. It feels like you're being shocked to death," Terra added.

"Well, she did pretty much shock me to death but I didn't _see_ things," Riku explained as Naminé tried to massage the holes Larxene dug into his chest away.

"I don't know." Aqua grabbed fistfuls of her hair in frustration. "What if she did it while you were unconscious?"

"If she wanted to make him a Sleeper, she would have made him a Sleeper," Terra grumbled matter-of-factly.

"We could all be Sleepers. We'd have no way of knowing." Riku sighed and lied back on the bed in vexation.

"Her powers are transferred through touch so maybe the _rest of you_ are safe." Terra gave an exaggerated grin.

"I-I could check…" Naminé whispered softly, everyone's eyes wandering to her.

"What?" Aqua's brow creased.

"I could try to use my powers to check…" Naminé's voice was sounding more and more unsure with each syllable she uttered.

"Can you…do that?" Ven asked curiously and with a touch of disbelief.

"I can try. They need their minds searched and healed, right? Then it's like white magic. I will just use it on their brains instead. I'm a seeress, which means I have power over the mind so, maybe I can just…work the magic I already know inside their minds?" She shrugged and laughed awkwardly.

"Works for me." Riku clapped his hands together and sat in the floor in front of her and the bed.

Naminé watched him with wide eyes, unsure of how to proceed. "Um…okay. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you," he replied easily, grinning at her over his shoulder.

With a nod, Naminé placed her trembling hands on his head.

"Don't be afraid, Naminé," Aqua called gently, sensing her unease. "You won't hurt him unless you _want_ to hurt him."

Nodding, Naminé secured her hands on each side of his head and closed her eyes. She figured she could start by running Scan on his head. That way she could see what she was dealing with then, if she saw anything malevolent, she would start using restorative magics.

Before she knew what was happening, she was _inside_ Riku's head. She wasn't in the room at the Travel Agency anymore.

Soft voices and flickers of memories surrounded her. Everything was dark and the aura of Riku's mental faculties held only shades of black, grey, blue, and purple.

It instantly became abundantly clear she wasn't in control of anything around her or inside his head, but she felt like she _could_ control it if she set her mind to it. She felt empowered, like she could easily manipulate _anything_ within that space, like she could control what she saw.

Naminé instantly understood how the seers could become power mad, but that wasn't why she was in Riku's mind. She was there to help, not to harm or to manipulate. She wanted to be like Mona. She _never_ wanted to violate the sanctity of another's mind. What she was hearing and seeing within Riku were the things he was okay with her seeing or the things of his subconscious that he couldn't keep from her. Riku was her friend and he was comfortable. She could sense that. That was why the voices were soft and the feeling was tranquil. He was at peace with her and that was making this easier.

Once the initial shock of being present within another person's mind faded, she realized his mind had taken on the form of a long, winding hallway but it didn't have a floor. It did, however, have rooms and behind their doors were memories and thoughts. It kind of reminded her of being in an old abandoned house or maybe a creepy mansion.

She began to delve deeper into the dreamy illusion, the false appearance, the strange hallucination, and abstract form Riku's mind had taken on in search of…something. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for but she had a feeling she would know if she found it.

Naminé went as far as she could go into the dark, winding corridors but couldn't find anything foreign or out-of-place. Everything she found was a part of Riku. It was just Riku, his thoughts, and his memories.

"I think you're fine." She released his temples. "Did I hurt you?" she asked although she was terrified of the answer.

"No. I didn't feel anything except your hands on my head," Riku replied dismissively. "What was it like?"

"Kind of like…being in a really big hallway or house. There are voices, pictures, and visions. Being in there…I felt like I could control what I saw, what I heard, what I found. I could… I could control what was around me…" Naminé raved, looking at her hands as if they were not her own.

"That's why so many seers and seeresses get drunk off power. You can control what you see but it's your choice whether or not you abuse that power," Terra explained.

"I only observed what was there. What Riku provided. I didn't use force. I kind of just followed the passages until I felt like I went full circle. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary there."

"That's amazing… You already know what to do," Aqua responded in awe.

"It just…kind of came naturally." Naminé giggled nervously. "Want me to make sure you're okay?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Aqua nodded and sat next to Naminé on the bed. "What do you need me to do? Do you want my hand or…"

"I don't think I can do that yet… Just…" Naminé reached for Aqua's face and tentatively placed a hand on her temple.

Within a second she was already sucked into Aqua's mental faculties.

Aqua's mind was _completely_ different from Riku's. Apparently, like everyone's personality, everyone's mind differed as well and Aqua's mind took on the form of a labyrinth.

It was cold in Aqua's head and Naminé almost _felt_ the sensation of snow. The aura in her mind contained lots of cool colors, blues, greens, and whites.

Her mind was somehow quieter than Riku's, and Riku's hadn't been loud. The voices in Aqua's head were so quiet, what they were saying was indecipherable but Naminé did recognize Aqua's gentle voice within them.

There were grooves carved into Aqua's brain. Someone had been there before her. They had busted their way into the icy labyrinth and left holes in its walling. They did not navigate their way through the maze or follow its paths. They'd made their own paths and they were still there, large gaping holes that appeared to be aged but were still very present.

The snow on the ground around the holes had been singed by fire or maybe lightening…

The Seer Sages had done this to her. That was much was clear.

Once she wormed her way through the ruined walls that made up the maze, Naminé began casting Cure. She couldn't restore the walling completely but the restorative magic did fill the hole with a sheer, translucent barrier so the holes no longer existed as they had before. They would never be the same but she could repair some of the damage.

She followed the path of destruction the Seer Sages had left, performing repairs as she went. Namiée figured if they planted something, it would probably be along the paths they made.

As she journeyed through Aqua's violated mind, Naminé realized they had only been rummaging around for information. They hadn't left anything behind other than the paths and grooves they ruthlessly worked into her head to get what they wanted in or out.

In one part of the labyrinth, Naminé saw memories that weren't really memories. They were blinding flickers of green. They were faded and worn but they were still there, scattered along the pathways, sewn into the walls as if they were a part of Aqua. But they weren't. They were imitations and didn't meld to the walls like her real, natural memories did. They had been put there.

"I see where they touched you…" Naminé took her hand off of Aqua's temple. "I saw what they did. I saw where Marluxia took your memories and where Larxene forced visions into your head, but other than that, they didn't leave anything. I think you're okay too."

Aqua released a sigh of relief and some of the tension left her body until she cast her gaze toward Terra. "You should probably let her see if they have bugged you. If any of us are…"

"It would probably be me. I know," Terra snapped and folded his arms over his knees. "But forgive me if I don't really want a seer waltzing through my head right now." His eyes met Naminé's. "No offense."

"I won't hurt you, Terra." Naminé walked across the room and knelt in front of Terra. "I promise. I might even be able to help. I think I actually repaired some of the damage they did to Aqua."

"Something tells me her damage won't be as extensive as mine." He smirked, his eyes dark and faraway as he spoke.

"Please let her check, Terra," Aqua pleaded, her face marred with concern.

"Fine. Knock yourself out," Terra relented and sat upright. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He didn't have the strength to either so he surrendered.

Naminé leapt onto the bed behind him and gently placed both hands on each side of his head and closed her eyes.

The inside of Terra's head hit her hard. It was like a war zone. His brain took on the form of a wasteland. She was surrounded by dry, cracked earth and fire rained down from the heavens. And the voiced in his head were _very_ loud. Everything was loud, the colors, the landscape, the visions. Terra's mind was in utter turmoil.

Naminé didn't even know where to start. Riku and Aqua's minds had a sense of guidance and a structure, but Terra's was pure chaos. She wasn't even sure if she _could_ navigate this kind of mind. She was still an amateur!

As she scanned the layout of his mind, she saw countless holes in the ground all around her. She recognized the destruction instantly. They were the paths of the seers. She could see where they'd burrowed into the ground and even where they attempted to but couldn't break the surface. Sometimes it looked like they had been interrupted or as if Terra resisted the invasion.

The monstrous holes were everywhere. There were so many of them and they all appeared to lead to different places. She couldn't possibly check them all but she needed to try.

Naminé started to journey into one of the nearest burrows but she saw a cave nearby. It was the natural entrance, not the ones the seers had made and she decided to use it instead.

She walked into the underground chamber and was instantly struck by darkness. The tunnels were deep and their walls were covered in drawings. Larxene had practically covered every inch of them with carvings that formed strange pictures.

Naminé couldn't look at them. They were deep and they bled as they flashed gruesome imagery at her. She couldn't look, but she did run her hands along the walls and attempted to use Cure to disperse some of the damage.

Once she journeyed deeper, she realized the underground passages were all connected. The holes were all entrances to the same tangle of tunnels that lied beneath the chaotic surface, beneath the stubborn, sturdy rock Terra erected. She realized if it wasn't for the seers tunnels and burrows, Terra's mind would be almost completely illegible. He had barriers just as Aqua did. He kept his thoughts and memories deep underground. It was like he wanted to keep them away from everyone, even himself.

The underground passages were endless and his memories were kept within what appeared to be earthen cells. They were locked away behind rocky bars but almost all of the cells' bars had been burst open or bent apart so Marluxia could bust in and have his way with what lied within.

Just as she had in Aqua's mind, Naminé tried to mend the bars with her own frail substitution barriers.

She flew through the dark tunnels and looked for anything _extra_ strange since everything around her was strange in general.

It was a frightening place full of blood and screaming save for a few places, most of which contained remnants of Aqua. Naminé recognized the aura and the cool. The prison cells where the memories of Aqua dwelled were quieter and a bit brighter.

Marluxia hadn't violated the more recent memories. Those memories weren't as violent and didn't rush at her like monsters when she walked by. They merely spoke to her in gentle greetings and she even recognized a few of them since they'd experienced them together.

All at once, Naminé could sense another presence. At first, she wasn't sure if it was the rabid memories or something else.

Unthinking, she walked toward the aura.

It was green and bright and appeared to be conducting an electrical current. It was embedded deep within the walls like the visions Larxene left, except this thing was… _alive_. It had an odd heartbeat that crackled as the current within it pulsated. It throbbed and it sprayed out along the walls earthy surface, firmly latched on like an otherworldly parasite.

She reached out to touch it and instantly, it rushed at her, shrieking as it came to life.

Naminé yanked her hands off Terra's temples and reeled into the wall behind the bed.

It took several seconds for her to regain her senses and realize that Terra was screaming bloody murder. He was holding his head in his hands and howling as if he were on fire.

"What did you do?" Ventus helped her sit upright and regain her equilibrium.

"N-Nothing!" Naminé managed to croak. "There… There was something in there. I don't know what it was… Everything in there was scary and wrong but that _thing_ … I don't know what it was but…it might be… He might be a Sleeper… That may have been his trigger point…" Suddenly feeling as if she was going to pass out, she grabbed hold of her Ven's arm for support.

Terra's screaming faded but he didn't release his head. He stared blankly at the floor and rocked eerily back and forth, mercilessly clawing away at his temples until his skin began to peel back and drew blood.

"Terra…" Aqua called gently as she tried to remove his bloody hands from his skull and keep him from doing any more damage to himself.

He went limp and his hands fell loosely at his sides, his eyes blank and glazed over. He was mumbling and saying strange, incoherent things to himself.

"Terra. Hey, look at me." Aqua brushed his hair back and gently held his face in her hands. "Terra. Terra!"

His stony eyes flickered as he gazed up at her.

"Can you hear me? Terra. Terra, sweetie, look at me."

Everyone except Aqua heard her slip up, her subconscious term of endearment, but none one said anything, nor would they say anything.

"You're okay. You're here with us. I'm right here. Okay?" Aqua stroked his dark hair out of his face, patting his cheeks as she spoke tenderly to him. "Can you hear me? Answer me, Terra. Please."

"Here, try this." Sora came forward knelt in front of the former knight.

Terra's blank eyes followed the movement and gradually focused on Sora.

"Terra, how many fingers am I holding up?" Sora spoke _very_ slowly as he held up three fingers a few inches from Terra's face.

Terra scowled and his brow furrowed.

"How many am _I_ holding up?" he countered and proceeded to shoot Sora the finger.

Aqua's worry instantly faded as she stood and crossed her arms. "Don't worry, Namine. He's fine."

"I don't think so, Aqua," Naminé sniveled and trembled in Ventus's arms. "I think he's a Sleeper..."

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also posted on FanFiction.net and it has progressed further on that site. The original version was posted on FF.net and I am only posting the revised chapters on this site. So, if you want to read more of this madness go to... https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9899597/1/The-Dark-Rule
> 
> Also, there is a fan made soundtrack for this story as well at: http://8tracks.com/neoshadow/the-cure


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